THE  MAKING 
OF  A  TRADE  SCHOOL 


MARY  SCHENCK  WOOLMAN 


.* 

f 

*l 


THE  MAKING 
OF  A  TRADE  SCHOOL 


By  MARY  SCHENCK  WOOLMAN 

f  f 

Director  of  Manhattan  Trade  School  for  Girls 
Professor  of  Domestic  Art,  Teachers  College,  Columbia  University 


WHITCOMB  &  BARROWS 
1910 

BOSTON 


Copyright  1909 
By  Teachers  College 


Thomas  Todd  Co.,  Printers 

14  Beacon  Street 

Boston 


CONTENTS  / 

PART  PAGB 

V^.     ORGANIZATION  AND  WORK i 

V^Jl.     REPRESENTATIVE  PROBLEMS 38 

III.  EQUIPMENT  AND  SUPPORT 53 

IV.  OUTLINES  AND  DETAILED  ACCOUNTS  OF  DEPARTMENT 

WORK                          ...  58 


285936 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  TRADE 
SCHOOL 

PART    I 

ORGANIZATION   AND   WORK 
History 

THE  Manhattan  Trade  School  for  Girls  began  its 
work  in  November,  1902.  The  building  selected  for 
the  school  was  a  large  private  house  at  233  West  I4th 
Street,  which  was  equipped  like  a  factory  and  could 
comfortably  accommodate  100  pupils.  Training  was 
offered  in  a  variety  of  satisfactory  trades  which  required 
the  expert  use  of  the  needle,  the  paste  brush,  and  the 
foot  and  electric  power  sewing  machines. 

Beginning  with  twenty  pupils  on  its  first  day,  it  was 
but  a  few  months  before  the  full  100  were  on  roll  and 
others  were  applying.  In  endeavoring  to  help  all  who 
•desired  instruction  the  building  was  soon  overcrowded. 
It  thus  became  evident  that,  unless  increased  accommo- 
dation was  provided,  the  number  already  in  attendance 
must  be  decreased  and  others,  anxious  for  the  training, 
must  be  turned  away.  It  was  decided  that  even  though 
the  enterprise  was  young  the  need  was  urgent,  demand- 
ing unusual  exertion.  It  would  therefore  be  wise  to 
make  every  effort  to  purchase  more  commodious  quarters. 
In  June,  1906,  the  school  moved  to  a  fine  business  build- 


2  THE   MAKING  OF  A  TRADE   SCHOOL 


ing  a.:  209-213  East  2$d  Street,  which  could  offer  daily 
instruction  to  about  500  girls. 

The  movement  owes  its  existence  to  the  earnest  study 
that  a  group  of  women  and  men,  interested  in  philan- 
thropic, sociological,  economic,  and  educational  work, 
gave  to  the  condition  of  the  working  girl  in  New  York 
City.  They  were  all  intimately  acquainted  with  the  diffi- 
culties of  the  situation.  Early  in  the  winter  of  1902 
this  committee  made  a  special  investigation  of  the  work- 
I  rooms  of  New  York.  They  were  but  the  more  convinced 
that  (i)  the  wages  of  unskilled  labor  are  declining;  \ 
(2)  while  there  is  a  good  opportunity  for  highly  skilled 
labor,  the  supply  is  inadequate;  (3).  the  condition  of  the 
young,  inexpert  working  girl  must  be  ameliorated  by 
the  speedy  opening  of  a  trade  school  for  those  who  have 
reached  the  age  to  obtain  working  papers;  (4)  if  public 
instruction  could  not  immediately  undertake  the  organ- 
ization of  such  a  school,  then  private  initiative  must  do 
it,  even  though  it  must  depend  for  its  support  upon 
voluntary  contributions.  The  result  was  that  an  extreme 
effort  was  put  forth  and  the  following  November  the 
first  trade  school  in  America,  for  girls  of  fourteen  years 
of  age,  was  begun. 

The  first  Board  of  Administrators,  composed  largely 
of  members  of  the  original  committee  of  investigators, 
was  as  follows: 

President,  Miss  Virginia  Potter;  Vice-Presidents, 
Dr.  Felix  Adler,  Mr.  John  Graham  Brooks,  Mrs.  Theo- 
dore Hellman,  Mrs.  Anna  Garlin  Spencer,  Mrs.  Henry 
Ollesheimer;  Treasurer,  Mr.  J.  G.  Phelps  Stokes;  Sec- 
retary, Mr.  John  L.  Eliot;  Assistant  Secretary,  Miss 


ORGANIZATION   AND   WORK  3 

Louise  B.  Lockwood;  Director,  Professor  Mary  Schenck 
Woolman. 

Purpose  and  Scope 

The  immediate  purpose  of  the  school  was  to  train  j 
the  youngest  and  poorest  wage-earners  to  be  self-support-  1 
ing  as  quickly  as  possible.     It  was  decided  to  help  the  / 
industrial  workers  rather  than  the  commercial  and  pro- 
fessional, as  the  last  two  are  already  to  some  extent 
provided  for  in  education. KThe  function  of  the  schoolN 
was,  therefore,  that  of  the  Short-Time  Trade  School,  / 
which  would  provide  the  girl  who  must  go  to  work  the ! 
moment  she  can  obtain  her  working  papers  (about  four- 
teen years  of  age)   with  an  enlightened  apprenticeship 
in  some  productive  occupation.    Such  training  cannot  Tie 
obtained   satisfactorily   in  the   market.     The   immature 
workers  are  present  there  in  such  large  numbers  that 
they  complicate  the  industrial  problem  by  their  poverty 
and  inability,  and  thus  tend  to  lower  the  wage.     Jane 
Addams,  of  Hull  House,  Chicago,  says  these  untrained 
girls  "enter  industry  at  its  most  painful  point,  where 
the  trades  are  already  so  overcrowded  and  subdivided 
that  there  remains  in  them  very  little  education  for  the 
worker."     The  school  purposed  to  give  its  help  at  this 
very  point. 

Trade,  on  its  side,  is  eager  to  have  skilled  women 
directly  fitted  for  its  workrooms,  but  finds  them  hard  to 
obtain.  The  school's  duty  was  to  discover  the  way 
to  meet  this  wish  of  the  employers  of  labor.  It  is  true 
that  the  utilitarian  and  industrial  education  offered  by 
public  and  private  instruction  has  benefited  the  home 


4  THE    MAKING   OF   A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

and  society,  but  such  training  has  not  met  the  problem 
of  adequately  fitting  for  specific  employments  the  young 
worker  who  has  but  a  few  months  to  spare.  The  lack 
in  this  instruction  has  been  in  specific  trade  application 
and  flexibility  as  to  method,  artistic  needs,  and  mechA- 
ical  devices.  Thes.e  points  are  essential  to  place  the  girl 
in  immediate  touch  with  her  workroom. 
^Therefore  the  Manhattan  Trade  School  assumed  the 
responsibility  of  providing  an  economic  instruction  in 
the  practical  work  of  various jtrades,  thus  supplying  them 
with  capable  assistant^  Hence  its  purpose  differed  not 
only  from  the  more  general  instruction  of  the  usual 
technical  institution,  but  also  from  those  schools  which 
offered  specific  training  in  one  trade  (such  as  dress- 
making), in  that  it  (i)  offered  help  to  the  youngest 
wage-earners,  (2)  gave  the  choice  among  many  trades, 
and  (3)  held  the  firm  conviction  that  the  adequate 
preparation  of  successful  workers  requires  more  factors 
of  instruction  than  the  training  for  skill  alone.  The 
ideals  of  the  school  were  the  following:  (i)  to  train  a 
girl  that  she  may  become  self-supporting;  (2)  to  furnish 
a  training  which  shall  enable  the  worker  to  shift  from 
one  occupation  to  another  allied  occupation,  i.  e.,  elas- 
ticity; (3)  to  train  a  girl  to  understand  her  relation  to 
her  employer,  to  her  fellow-worker,  and  to  her  product; 
(4)  to  train  a  girl  to  value  health  and  to  know  how  to 
keep  and  improve  it;  (5)  to  train  a  girl  to  utilize  her 
former  education  in  such  necessary  business  processes 
as  belong  to  her  workroom;  (6)  to  develop  a  better 
woman  while  making  a  successful  worker;  (7)  to  teach 
the  community  at  large  how  best  to  accomplish  such 


ORGANIZATION   AND   WORK  5 

training,  i.  e.,  to  serve  as  a  model  whose  advice  and  help 
would  facilitate  the  founding  of  the  best  kind  of  schools 
for  the  lowest  rank  of  women  workers. 

In  other  words,  the  Manhattan  Trade  School  aimed 
to  find  a  way  (i)  to  improve  the  worker,  physically, 
mentally,  morally,  and  financially;  (2)  to  better  the  con- 
ditions of  labor  in  the  workroom;  (3)  to  raise  the 
character  of  the  industries  and  the  conditions  of  the 
homes,  and  (4)  to  show  that  such  education  could  be 
practically  undertaken  by  public  instruction.  The  four 
aims  are  really  one,  for  the  better  workers  should 
improve  the  product,  make  higher  wages,  react  advan- 
tageously on  the  industrial  situation  and  on  the  home, 
and  the  course  of  instruction  formulated  to  accomplish 
this  end  would  help  in  the  further  introduction  of  such 
training. 

It  was  not  expected  that  immature  girls  of  fourteen 
or  fifteen  years  of  age  would,  immediately  on  entering 
the  market,  make  large  salaries  or  be  broad-minded 
citizens.  The  hope  was  to  give  them  a  foundation  which 
would  enable  them  to  adapt  themselves  to  situations  best 
fitted  to  their  abilities  and  to  make  possible  a  steady 
advance  toward  better  occupations,  wages,  and  living. 
In  order  to  do  this,  each  girl  on  entering  the  school  must 
be  regarded  as  having  capacity  for  some  special  occu- 
pation. This  aptitude  must  be  discovered  that  she  may 
be  placed  where  she  can  attain  her  highest  efficiency  as 
rapidly  as  possible.  She  must  be  treated  individually, 
not  as  one  of  a  class.  Her  own  efforts  must  be 
awakened,  her  handicaps,  such  as  inadequate  health 
and  unadaptable  education,  must  be  removed,  and  her 


0  THE   MAKING   OF   A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

training  proceed  in  a  way  to  give  her  possession  of 
her  powers. 

Conditions  among  the  'Workers 

The  conditions  of  life  among  many  of  the  wage- 
earners  of  New  York  City  are,  briefly  stated,  as  follows: 
Thousands  of  families  are  so  poor  that  the  children 
must  go  to  work  the  moment  the  compulsory  school 
years  are  over.  In  1897,  14,900  boys  and  girls  dropped 
from  the  fifth  school  grade,  most  of  them  going  to  work 
from  necessity  more  or  less  pressing.  To  rise  to  impor- 
tant positions  in  factories,  workrooms,  or  department 
stores  will  require  a  practical  combination  of  any  needed 
craft  with  the  ability  to  utilize  their  school  education  in 
rapid  deductions,  business  letters,  accounts,  and  trade 
transactions.  The  public  school  offers  such  children  a 
general  education  which  will  be  completed  in  the  eighth 
grade,  but  the  majority  leave  before  that  time.  For 
varying  reasons,  such  as  their  foreign  birth,  irregular 
attendance,  the  impossibility  of  much  personal  attention 
in  the  crowded  classes  of  a  great  city,  poor  conditions  of 
health,  and  the  desire  of  the  pupils  to  escape  the  routine 
of  school  as  soon  as  the  law  will  allow,  the  greater 
number  of  them,  who  go  early  into  trade,  have  not  had 
a  satisfactory  education  for  helping  them  in  their  work- 
ing life.  Year  after  year  are  they  found  wanting,  and 
yet  young  workers  still  come  from  the  schools  at  fourteen 
with  poor  health,  little  available  hand  skill,  unprepared 
to  write  business  letters  or  to  express  themselves  clearly 
either  by  tongue  or  pen,  uninterested  in  the  daily  news 
except  in  personal  or  tragic  events,  unaware  of  municipal 


ORGANIZATION   AND   WORK  7 

conditions  affecting  them,  ignorant  of  the  simple  terms 
of  business  life,  and  with  their  arithmetic  unavailable 
for  use,  even  in  the  simple  fundamental  processes  when 
complicated  with  details  of  trade.  The  mechanical  pro- 
cesses, therefore,  which  they  do  know  are  now  useless 
unless  they  can  first  think  out  the  problem. 

These  boys  and  girls  have  no  regret  at  leaving  the 
schools,  and  are,  as  a  rule,  glad  to  get  to  work.  The 
tragedy  of  life,  however,  begins  when  they  become  wage- 
earners,  for  they  are  only  fitted  for  unskilled  and  poorly 
paid  positions.  A  little  fourteen-year-old  girl  finds  it 
difficult  to  obtain  a  satisfactory  occupation  in  the  teeming 
workrooms  of  New  York.  She,  or  some  member  of  her 
family,  eagerly  searches  the  ad\*ertising  sheet  of  one  of 
the  daily  papers.  Most  of  the  "Wants"  are  entirely 
beyond  her  crude  powers  to  supply.  An  unskilled  worker 
is  perhaps  desired  in  some  business  house,  but  the  appli- 
cant finds  that  hundreds  of  other  girls  are  flocking  to 
obtain  the  same  position,  and  her  chance  is  too  remote 
for  hope.  Or  perhaps,  after  weary  days  of  wandering 
about  from  place  to  place,  she  is  recommended  to  the 
boss  of  some  shop,  and  finds  herself  in  the  midst  of 
machines  which  rush  forward  at  4,000  or  more  stitches 
a  minute.  She  assists  a  busy  worker  on  men's  shirts, 
her  duty  being  to  pin  parts  together,  to  finish  off,  or  to 
run  errands.  From  early  morning  to  late  afternoon, 
with  an  interval  for  lunch,  she  must  be  ready  to  lend  a 
hand.  She  can  get  at  best  but  $2.50  or  $3.00  per  week. 
No  rise  is  possible  in  this  shop  unless  she  can  work 
well  on  a  machine.  Her  fellow-workers  are  too  busy 
to  teach  her,  for  each  moment's  pause  means  reduction 


8  THE    MAKING   OF   A  TRADE   SCHOOL 

in  their  little  wage.  Perhaps  she  does  persist  and  finally 
can  control  a  machine.  By  learning  to  do  one  thing 
rapidly  she  can  obtain  a  better  wage,  but  two  or  even 
more  years  in  trade  often  pass  before  she  can  earn  five 
dollars  a  week.  After  several  seasons  spent  in  doing 
the  same  process  thousands  of  times,  her  desire  for  new 
work  becomes  deadened,  and  she  is  afraid  to  attempt 
anything  different  from  her  one  set  task.  She  usually 
refuses  to  try  more  advanced  work,  even  if  offered  a 
good  salary  while  she  is  learning,  for  she  has  lost  her 
ability  to  push  ahead. 

In  general,  it  may  be  said  that  the  untrained  girl  has 
to  take  the  best  place  she  can  find,  without  reference  to 
her  ability,  her  physical  condition,  or  her  inclination. 
The  most  desirable  trades  are  seldom  open  to  her,  for 
they  require  workers  of  experience,  or,  at  least,  those 
who  have  had  recognized  instruction.  Even  if  a  green 
girl  enters  a  skilled  trade,  she  cannot  rise  easily  in  it, 
and  is  apt  to  be  dropped  out  at  the  first  slack  season. 
The  sort  of  positions  open  to  her  have  usually  little 
future,  as  they  are  isolated  occupations  that  do  not  lead 
to  more  advanced  work.  Illustrations  of  these  employ- 
ments are  wrapping  braid,  sorting  silk,  running  errands, 
tying  fringe,  taking  out  and  putting  in  buttons  in  a 
laundry,  dipping  candy,  assorting  lamps,  making  cigar- 
ettes, tending  a  machine,  and  tying  up  packages.  These 
young,  unskilled  girls  wander  from  one  of  these  occu- 
pations to  another;  their  salaries,  never  running  high, 
rise  and  fall  according  to  the  need  felt  for  the  worker, 
and  not  because  her  increasing  ability  is  a  factor  in  her 
trade  life.  After  several  years  spent  in  the  market,  she 
is  little  better  off  than  at  her  entrance. 


ORGANIZATION   AND   WORK  9 

Some  Difficulties  of  Organization 

It  was  to  relieve  this  serious  situation  that  the 
Manhattan  Trade  School  was  founded.  It  began  its 
work  in  the  face  of  great  discouragements.  Employers 
were  prejudiced  against  such  instruction,  for  girls  trained 
in  former  technical  schools  had  not  given  satisfaction 
in  the  workrooms.  The  parents  of  the  pupils  felt  that 
they  could  not  sacrifice  themselves  further  than  the  end 
of  the  compulsory  school  years,  but  must  then  send  their 
children  into  wage-earning  positions.  It  was  impossible 
to  obtain  state  or  municipal  aid,  and  it  was  known  that 
the  experiment  must  be  costly,  for:  (i)  A  trade  school 
must  be  open  all  the  year  for  day  classes,  and  for  night 
work  when  needed  (schools  usually  are  open  from  eight 
to  ten  months).  (2)  The  work  must  be  done  on  correct 
materials,  which  are  often  expensive  and  perishable ;  but 
pupils  are  too  poor  to  provide  them,  therefore  the  school 
must  plan  to  do  so.  (3)  The  supervisors  must  be  well 
educated,  with  a  broad-minded  view  of  industry,  capable 
of  original  thought,  and  having  a  practical  knowledge  of 
trade  requirement  (women  of  such  caliber  can  always 
command  the  best  salaries).  The  teachers  and  fore- 
women also  must  combine  teaching  ability  with  compe- 
tence in  their  workrooms;  but  as  the  market  wishes  a 
similar  class  of  service  and  gives  excellent  wages  to 
obtain  it,  the  school  must  offer  a  like  or  even  a  larger 
amount.  (4)  Teachers  of  highly  skilled  industries  are 
expert,  usually,  in  but  the  one  occupation,  such  as  straw 
hat  making  by  electric  machine  or  jewelry  box  making; 
consequently,  even  if  the  student  body  is  small,  the 


IO  THE    MAKING  OF  A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

teaching  force  can  seldom  be  reduced  without  cutting 
off  an  entire  department  or  a  trade.  A  trade  school 
differs  from  the  high  school  in  this  particular,  for  in  the 
latter,  when  necessary,  two  or  more  academic  subjects 
can  be  taught  by  the  same  instructor. 

Another  difficulty  confronting  the  school  at  the  be- 
ginning was,  that  while  numerous  occupations  in  New 
York  are  open  to  women,  there  was  reason  to  think 
that  some  of  these  were  not  well  adapted  to  them.  Little 
was  known  at  that  time  of  the  trades  offering  oppor- 
tunities for  good  wages,  steady  rise  to  better  positions, 
satisfactory  sanitary  conditions,  and  moderate  hours  of 
labor;  of  the  physical  effect  of  many  of  the  popular 
occupations;  of  the  specific  requirements  of  each  kind 
of  employment ;  of  the  effect  of  the  working  girls  in  their 
workrooms  and  in  their  homes ;  of  their  health  and  how 
to  improve  it ;  of  the  needs  and  wishes  of  the  employers ; 
of  the  relation  of  the  Trade  Union  to  trade  instruction, 
and  of  labor  legislation  already  operative  or  which  should 
be  furthered.  Before  deciding  on  courses  of  instruction 
in  the  Manhattan  Trade  School  some  accurate  know- 
ledge of  these  facts  had  to  be  obtained. 

Selection  of  Trades 

The  selection  of  definite  trades  was  made  after  five 
months  of  investigation  in  the  factories,  workrooms,  and 
department  stores  of  New  York  City.  In  general,  it 
can  be  said  of  the  occupations  chosen  that  they  employ 
large  numbers  of  women ;  require  expert  workers ;  train- 
ing for  them  is  difficult  to  obtain ;  there  is  chance  within 
them  for  rise  to  better  positions ;  the  wages  are  good, 


ORGANIZATION   AND   WORK  II 

and  favorable  conditions,  both  physical  and  moral,  pre- 
vail in  the  workrooms.  Some  trades  employing  women 
were  rejected,  as  they  failed  to  meet  necessary  require- 
ments, while  others  were  not  chosen,  as  there  was  little 
chance  in  them  to  rise  on  account  of  men's  trades  inter- 
vening. Slack  seasons  occurring  in  many  otherwise  good 
employments  were  considered,  and  plans  were  made 
whereby  the  worker  could  be  enabled  to  shift  to  another 
allied  trade  when  her  own  was  slack.  If  a  girl  gains 
complete  control  of  her  tool  she  can  adapt  herself  to 
other  occupations  in  which  it  is  used  with  less  difficulty 
than  she  can  change  to  a  trade  requiring  another  tool. 
Women's  industries,  to  a  great  extent,  center  around  the 
skilled  use  of  a  few  tools.  These  tools  were  selected  as 
centers  of  the  school  activities,  and  the  connected  trades 
were  radiated  from  them.  The  most  skilled  occupations* 
were  found  to  require  the  use  of  the  sewing  machine, 
foot  and  electric  power,  the  paint  brush,  the  paste  brush, 
and  the  needle.  Statistics  show  that  teaching  the  use  of 
this  last  tool  will  affect  over  one-half  of  the  women 
wage-earners  of  New  York,  of  whom  there  are  at  least 
370,000.  In  addition  to  the  general  scheme  of  fitting  a 
worker  so  that  she  may  take  up  another  allied  occupa- 
tion in  slack  seasons,  specific  training  for  this  purpose  is 
given  to  those  students  who  choose  trades  where  the  busy 
season  is  short  and  of  frequent  recurrence. 

Trade  Courses 

The  curriculum  includes  instruction  in  the  following 
trades ;  the  courses  are  short  and  the  teaching  is  in  trade 
lines : 


12  THE   MAKING  OF  A  TRADE   SCHOOL 

I.  Use  of  electric  power  sewing  machines. 

1.  General   Operating — (cheaper   variety   of   work — 
seasonal;  fair  wages.    Better  grade  of  work — year 
round,  fair  and  good  wages,  piece  or  week  work)  : 
Shirtwaists,    children's  dresses   (cloth  and  cotton), 
boys'    waists,    infants'    wear,    children's    clothing, 
women's  underwear,  fancy  petticoats,  kimonos  and 
dressing  sacques. 

2.  Special  Machines — (seasonal  to  year  round  work, 
depending   on    kind    and    demand,    wages    good) : 
Lace    stitch,   hemstitching,   buttonhole,    embroidery 
(hand  and  Bonnaz),  and  scalloping. 

3.  Dressmaking      Operating — (year      round,      wages 
good)  :  Lingerie,  fancy  waists  and  suits. 

4.  Straw     Sewing — (excellent    wages     for    a    short 
season,  but  the  worker  can  then   return  to   good 

f          wages  in  general  operating)  :  Women's  and  men's 
hats. 

II.  Use  of  the  needle  and  foot  power  sewing  machines. 

1.  Dress    and    Garment    Making — (seasons    nine    to 
eleven  months,  and  fair  to  good  wages)  :  Uniforms 
and  aprons,  white  work  and  simple  white  embroid- 
ery,   gymnasium    and   swimming    suits    (wholesale 
and    custom),    lingerie,    dress    embroidery,    dress- 
making (plain  and  fancy). 

2.  Millinery — (short  seasonal  work,  low  wages,  diffi- 
cult for  the  average  young  worker  to  rise)  :  Trim- 
mings and  frame  making. 

3.  Lampshade    and    Candleshade    Making— (seasonal 
work,    fair    pay).      This    trade    supplements    the 
Millinery. 

III.  Use  of  paste  and  glue:  i.  Sample  mounting  (vir- 
tually year  work,  fair  wages).     2.     Sample  book 


ORGANIZATION   AND  WORK  13 

covers,  labeling,  tissue  paper  novelties  and  decora- 
tions (seasonal  and  year  round  work,  good  wages). 
3.  Novelty  work  (year  round  work,  changed  within 
workroom  to  meet  demand,  wages  good) .  4.  Jewelry 
and  silverware  case  making  (year  round  work, 
wages  good). 

IV.  Use  of  brush  and  pencil  (year  round  work,  good 
wages):  Special  elementary  art  trades,  perforating 
and  stamping,  costume  sketching,  photograph  and 
slide  retouching. 

Note.  Year  round  work,  in  general,  includes  a  holiday 
of  longer  or  shorter  duration,  usually  without  pay. 

Entrance  Plans 

x" 

The  school  is  open  throughout  the  year  in  order  to 
train  girls  whenever  they  come — the  summer  months, 
being  slack  in  most  trades  are  especially  desirable  for 
instruction.  The  tuition  is  free,  and  in  cases  of  extreme 
necessity  a  committee  gives  Students'  Aid,  in  proportion 
to  the  need.  Entrance  to  day  classes  for  girls  who  are 
from  fourteen  to  seventeen  years  of  age  and  who  can 
show  their  working  papers  or  be  able  to  produce  docu- 
mentary evidence  of  age,  if  under  sixteen,  can  occur 
any  week. 

Each  girl  who  enters,  after  selecting  her  trade,  is 
given  a  typewritten  paper  showing  the  possible  steps 
of  advance  in  her  chosen  course.  She  takes  this  home 
in  order  that  the  family  may  know  what  is  before  her. 
She  can  by  special  effort  or  by  outside  study  lessen  the 
length  of  her  training.  The  first  month  in  the  school 
is  a  test  time.  If  the  girl  shows  the  needed  qualities 
she  is  allowed  to  continue. 


14  THE   MAKING   OF   A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

During  the  month  of  trial  her  instructors  decide 
what  she  needs  and  if  her  chosen  trade  is  the  best  for 
her.  The  right  is  reserved  to  make  a  complete  change 
if  her  health  will  not  stand  the  one  she  desires,  if  she 
has  no  ability  for  it,  or  if  she  gives  evidence  of  special 
talent  in  another  direction. 

Industrial  Intelligence 

7\  Every  student  has,  as  a  part  of  her  trade  education, 
such  academic  work,  art,  and  physical  training  as  seems 
necessary;  when  she  passes  certain  standards  she  is  then 
allowed  to  devote  full  time  to  her  selected  occupation.^ 
It  is  not  possible  for  a  worker  who  has  skill  with  the 
hand  and  no  education  to  back  it  up  to  rise  far  in  her 
trade.  There  is  many  a  tragedy  in  the  market  of  the 
woman  whose  poor  early  education  prevented  her  from 
getting  ahead.  Accurate  expression,  whether  oral  or 
written,  the  use  of  arithmetic  in  simple  trade  transactions 
or  detailed  accounts,  the  ability  to  grasp  the  important 
factors  in  any  situation  and  then  to  go  to  work  without 
waste  of  time  or  motion,  are  required  for  positions  of 
trust  and  for  supervision  in  any  workroom.  It  was 
soon  discovered  that  the  girls  entering  the  school  know 
arithmetic  in  an  abstract  way,  but  are  at  sea  when  asked 
to  meet  the  ordinary  trade  problems.  They  are  inaccu- 
rate in  reading  and  copying;  they  cannot  write  a  letter 
of  application,  conduct  correspondence,  make  out  checks, 
or  keep  simple  accounts.  They  are  ignorant  of  the  laws 
already  made  which  concern  them  and  of  their  own  rela- 
tion to  future  laws.  They  have  no  ideals  in  their  trade 
life.  They  need  to  see  the  relation  of  their  chosen 


ORGANIZATION   AND   WORK  15 

trade  to  the  country,  of  their  work  to  their  employer's 
success,  the  effect  they  may  have  in  bringing  about  a 
better  feeling  between  the  employer  and  the  wage-earner. 
A  practical,  immediately  available  business  education  is 
absolutely  essential  to  make  workwomen  of  executive 
ability.  Therefore  specific  trade  instruction  in  arith- 
metic, English,  history,  geography,  and  civics  was 
planned  to  supplement  and  enrich  the  trade  courses. 

Steady  progress  has  been  made  in  determining  the 
kind  of  cultural  trade  instruction  which  will  best  assist 
such  young  wage-earners.  A  new  field  in  practical  edu- 
cation had  to  be  opened,  and  subject  matter  which  could 
be  of  service  in  the  workrooms  selected  from  it.  The 
many  trades  of  the  school  had  to  be  studied  in  order  to 
know  their  needs.  The  work  has  grown  more  valuable 
each  year  and  has  proved  itself  to  be  a  truly  necessary 
part  of  the  curriculum.  A  concrete  evidence  of  its  worth 
is  the  fact  that  many  of  the  girls  in  slack  seasons  have 
taken  clerical  positions  and  have  been  complimented  on 
their  grasp  of  the  subject,  their  orderliness,  their  ability 
to  think,  and  their  reliability.  'Naturally  all  departments 
unite  to  develop  character  in  the  students,  but  the 
Academic  Department  feels  this  to  be  a  special  aim.' 
Pleasure  in  the  subject  of  instruction,  followed  by  mental 
and  moral  improvement,  has  indicated  clearly  that  the 
academic  dullness  which  is  shown  at  entrance  comes  fre- 
quently from  lack  of  motive  in  former  studies.  The 
interest  is  all  the  more  encouraging  as  there  are  many 
handicaps  in  the  teaching,  for  the  students  enter  at  any 
time,  are  graded  by  the  trades  they  select,  and  are  placed 
in  the  market  as  quickly  as  possible;  hence  the  work 


l6  THE    MAKING   OF  A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

cannot  be  uniform  in  its  advance.  Nor  is  the  academic 
work  a  help  to  the  girls  in  their  business  life  only,  for 
such  subjects  as  the  keeping  of  accounts,  the  considera- 
tion of  the  cost  of  living,  and  the  value  and  price  of 
materials  are  of  direct  use  also  in  home  life. 

Trade  Art  Instruction 

Courses  in  Trade  Art  were  also  organized  as  a 
fundamental  part  of  the  instruction.  Each  trade  has 
its  own  art,  and  the  school  has  tried  to  adapt  the  work 
in  the  studios  to  each  different  occupation.  It  recog- 
nizes that  the  art  applied  in  dressmaking  differs  from 
that  in  millinery,  and  this  again  from  that  required  for 
decorating  jewelry  boxes  and  calendars.  It  consequently 
offers  each  student  the  kind  of  elementary  art  training 
needed  in  her  trade.  The  time  is  too  short  to  develop 
designers,  but  it  does  help  a  girl  to  be  more  exact, 
resourceful,  and  useful  in  her  workroom,  and  often 
enables  her  to  make  a  higher  wage.  A  worker  who 
can  place  trimming,  adapt  designs  to  new  purposes, 
stamp  patterns,  draw  copies  of  garments,  and  combine 
color  attractively  is  especially  desirable  in  her  chosen 
employment. 

Health 

The  young  wage-earner  of  New  York  is  much  handi- 
capped by  her  poor  physical  condition;  heredity,  poor 
habits  of  life,  and  unsanitary  homes  show  their  effects 
upon  her.  The  girls  who  come  to  the  school  are  young 
enough  to  remedy  many  of  their  defects.  In  a  few 
months  they  will  be  in  positions  demanding  eight  or 


ORGANIZATION   AND   WORK  I/ 

more  hours  a  day,  in  which  they  must  strain  every 
nerve  and  bend  all  of  their  energies  to  meet  the  standard 
brought  about  by  trade  competition.  X^ne  Physical  De- 
partment of  the  school  studies  the  nealth  of  each  girl 
and  trains  her  to  care  adequately  for  it.^The  specific 
treatment  needed  by  some  of  the  students  takes  them 
many  hours  a  week  from  their  department  work.  While 
this  has  its  disadvantages,  it  is  felt  to  be  more  important 
to  improve  the  physical  condition  than  to  develop  skill 
alone  when  the  health  is  too  poor  to  stand  the  strain  of 
exacting  positions.  It  is  often  difficult  at  first  to  per- 
suade parents  that  such  close  attention  to  health  is 
necessary.  The  results,  however,  in  the  majority  of 
cases  have  proved  the  wisdom  of  this  procedure. 

Immediately  after  entering  the  school  and  being 
assigned  to  a  department  each  girl  must  report  to  the 
school  physician.  Beginning  with  the  family  history,  a 
complete  record  of  all  the  important  events  relating  to 
her  physical  life  is  taken.  She  is  closely  questioned 
as  to  all  bodily  functions,  and  a  careful  record  is  kept 
of  irregularities.  Eyes,  ears,  teeth,  nose,  throat,  and 
feet  are  likewise  examined,  and  measurements  are  taken 
of  height,  weight,  and  the  principal  expansions.  After 
the  examination,  instruction  as  to  treatment  is  given, 
if  any  is  needed. 

The  work  in  the  gymnasium  has  three  purposes: 
invigorative,  reactive,  and  corrective.  Every  girl  who 
is  not  restricted  on  account  of  physical  defects  takes  the 
prescribed  gymnastic  work.  Nor  has  this  a  physical 
effect  only,  for  through  the  active  games  such  qualities 
as  judgment  and  accuracy,  self-control,  and  the  harmo- 


l8  THE   MAKING   OF   A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

nious  working  with  others  are  developed.  Slow,  un- 
certain, vague  movements  denote  lack  of  mental  quick- 
ness and  strength.  Motor  activity,  rightly  directed,  leads 
to  poise  of  mind  as  well  as  of  body.  These  girls  live 
mostly  in  crowded  localities  of  the  city,  where  free 
exercise  is  unknown.  The  school  aims,  as  far  as  possi- 
ble, to  supply  the  lack  of  wholesome  outdoor  life  and 
give  joyous  active  exercise.  Talks  on  hygiene  are  a 
regular  part  of  the  work  and  aim:  (i)  to  give  each 
girl  a  knowledge  of  her  body  and  of  its  functions 
which  will  enable  her  to  care  for  her  health  in  an  in- 
telligent manner;  (2)  to  show  her  the  relation  of  food 
and  its  preparation  to  her  physical  condition;  (3)  to 
establish  in  her  mind  ideals  of  correct  living  which 
can  be  made  practical  in  her  surroundings;  and  (4), 
recognizing  the  right  and  desire  of  every  girl  for  amuse- 
ment, to  create  a  love  for  wholesome  and  simple  pleas- 
ures that  will  take  the  place  of  the  too  strenuous  and 
often  unwise  recreations  which  tend  to  undermine  the 
health  of  the  girl  who  works. 

The  Lunchroom  and  the  Cooking  Classes 

From  the  opening  of  the  school,  hot  soup,  hot  choco- 
late, or  cold  milk  had  been  served  daily,  at  two  cents 
a  cup,  to  those  wishing  to  supplement  the  cold  lunch 
which  they  had  brought  from  their  homes.  The  teachers 
also  had  an  opportunity  of  buying  a  simple,  hot  meal 
which  was  prepared  by  one  of  their  number,  assisted 
by  students  who  aided  in  the  preparation,  serving,  and 
clearing  away.  At  first  the  average  girl  felt  she  could 


ORGANIZATION   AND    WORK  IQ 

not  give  much  time  to  her  trade  training,  consequently 
such  time  had  to  be  devoted  to  making  her  able  to 
command  a  living  wage.  The  hope,  however,  that  in  the 
future  the  opportunity  would  come  for  offering  increased 
domestic  training  was  never  forgotten.  The  opening 
at  the  school  of  a  temporary  workroom  for  unemployed 
women  during  the  financial  stress  of  1908  provided  them 
with  regular  work  and  pay.  It  was  advisable  also  to 
serve  nourishing  lunches  daily  to  these  underfed  workers. 
There  was  already  a  simple  lunchroom  in  the  basement 
of  the  school,  containing  such  bare  necessities  as  plain 
tables  on  horses,  long  wooden  benches,  a  gas  stove  with 
four  burners,  a  few  cooking  utensils,  and  a  closet  filled 
with  inexpensive  china.  The  complete  cost  of  equipment 
had  been  $300. 

The  school  was  now,  however,  face  to  face  with  the 
need  to  feed  daily  more  than  500  people — teachers, 
workers,  and  students  —  and  yet  no  additional  money 
could  be  spent  for  equipment.  The  necessity  was  so 
great,  however,  that  in  addition  to  the  usual  lunches  a 
hot,  nourishing  meal  was  given  daily  to  the  hundred 
workers  in  the  temporary  workroom,  for  which  they 
paid  one-half  of  the  price  of  materials. 

With  this  inauguration  of  regular  cooking  it  seemed 
especially  desirable  to  take  the  opportunity  of  training 
at  least  some  of  the  students  in  the  selection,  care,  and 
preparation  of  food.  The  majority  of  these  girls  will 
be  the  mothers  of  the  next  generation,  and  yet  they 
know  nothing  of  food  values  or  food  preparation.  This 
is  evident  from  the  daily  lunches  they  bring  and  from 
their  discussions  in  the  class  on  hygiene.  On  the  other 


2O  THE    MAKING   OF   A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

hand,  girls  who  can  remain  but  a  few  months  in  the 
school  have  a  serious  need  to  face,  that  of  self-support, 
for  the  wage  for  unskilled  girls  ($3.00)  is  not  sufficient 
to  live  on  with  decency.  The  physical,  mental,  and  moral 
future  of  these  young  girls  demands  that  they  should 
be  able  to  make  more  than  this  pittance.  In  the  few 
months  during  which  the  majority  are  in  attendance  both 
a  trade  training  and  a  knowledge  of  cooking  cannot  be 
given,  therefore  the  former  must  take  the  precedence. 
The  school  has  been  able  to  prove,  however,  that  girls 
educated  there  can  command  a  fair  wage  in  trade,  but 
that  a  longer  time  given  to  this  training  will  enable 
them  to  obtain  better  positions  and  salaries.  Hence  an 
increasing  number  have  been  willing  to  remain  longer, 
giving  even  a  year  or  more  to  preparation.  It  was  with 
this  latter  class  that  the  time  was  ripe  to  offer  some 
training  in  lunchroom  cookery  which  could  teach  them 
what  could  be  procured  at  low  prices  and  yet  be  nourish- 
ing; how  to  prepare  food  at  home,  and  how  to  use  the 
hot  table  often  found  in  an  up-to-date  factory.  For  this 
purpose,  therefore,  some  simple  additional  equipment 
was  installed  and  a  daily  menu  was  offered,  comprising 
inexpensive,  attractive,  wholesome  dishes,  at  the  lowest 
possible  cost.  Many  of  the  students  care  for  so  little 
variety  in  food  that  all  of  the  necessary  elements  for 
building  strong,  healthy  bodies  are  not  supplied,  hence 
they  are  under-nourished.  They  require  encouragement 
to  even  try  the  food  which  is  essential  for  improving 
their  physical  condition.  The  girls  have  taken  great 
interest  in  their  lunchroom  cookery.  They  appreciate 
the  inexpensive  menus  and  admire  the  simple  table  deco- 


ORGANIZATION    AND    WORK  21 

rations.  Gradually  they  have  given  up  spending  their 
few  pennies  for  poor  fruit,  cake,  or  candy  at  some  cheap 
shop,  and  now  purchase  nourishing  dishes  cooked  by  the 
students  at  the  school. 

The  cooking  course  connects  directly  with  the  talks  on 
hygiene.  The  plan  of  work  is  the  following :  ( I )  Twenty 
girls  are  chosen  at  one  time.  These  work  in  two  groups 
of  ten  each,  and  for  six  weeks  have  daily  one-hour 
lessons.  This  gives  them  thirty  lessons,  which  is  almost 
equivalent  to  what  the  public  school  offers  in  a  year, 
but,  being  concentrated  into  daily  work  and  practical 
use  in  the  lunchroom,  is  of  equal,  if  not  greater,  efficacy. 
(2)  The  students  set  the  tables,  cook  a  definite  part  of 
the  lunch,  dish  the  articles,  prepare  the  counters,  sell  the 
various  dishes,  keep  and  report  sales,  and  clear  the 
counters  afterward.  The  groups  alternate  in  order  that 
preparing  food,  watching  its  progress,  and  taking  it  from 
the  stove  may  be  done  by  all  with  a  minimum  loss  of 
time  from  their  trade  instruction.  (3)  The  selection 
of  girls  to  take  the  course  is  made  from  (a)  those  who 
can  remain  long  enough  in  the  school  to  combine  trade 
training  with  the  simple  cooking  course,  (b)  those  who 
have  such  poor  health  that  a  knowledge  of  what  to 
eat  and  how  to  cook  it  is  the  first  consideration,  and 
(c)  those  who  are  already  little  housekeepers  in  their 
homes,  as  their  mothers  are  incapacitated  or  dead. 

After  several  months  of  experience  it  was  felt  that 
the  six  weeks  of  constant  practice  was  well  worth  while. 
More  elaborate  courses  of  cookery  would  demand  a 
more  thorough  kitchen  equipment,  entailing  much  ex- 
pense, and  would  require  students  to  remain  a  longer 


22  THE    MAKING  OF  A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

time  in  school.  With  the  present  arrangement  they 
learn  the  most  important  cooking  processes  in  a  very 
practical  way,  and  discuss  the  relation  of  food  to  them- 
selves and  to  their  families. 


Trade  Orders 

)^  The  handwork  in  the  various  departments  falls  into 
three  grades:  I.  Practice  work,  which  not  being  up  to 
the  standard  is  ripped  up  and  used  again.  2.  Seconds; 
fair  work,  not  quite  up  to  the  school  standard  for  trade 
work.  This  is  sold  at  cost  to  the  students  or  to  needy 
institutions.  3.  Trade  work;  up  to  the  standard.  This 
is  sold  to  the  trade  or  to  private  customers  at  regular 
market  prices.  J(This  feature  of  the  school  work,  entail- 
ing, as  it  does,  the  taking  of  many  varieties  of  orders 
from  the  outside  factories  and  workrooms,  has  proved 
itself  to  be  an  important  educational  factor.  After  six 
years  of  experience  in  utilizing  orders  from  the  outside 
workrooms,  it  can  be  said  that  this  part  of  the  instruction 
serves  the  following  purposes:  (i)  It  provides  the  stu- 
dents with  adequate  experience  on  classes  of  material 
used  in  the  best  workrooms ;  these  girls  could  not 
purchase  such  materials  and  the  school  could  not  afford 
to  buy  them  for  practice.  (2)  The  ordinary  conditions 
in  both  the  wholesale  and  the  custom  trade  are  thus 
made  a  fundamental  part  of  the  instruction.  Reality 
of  this  kind  helps  the  supervisors  to  judge  the  product 
from  its  trade  value  (amateur  work  will  thus  be  re- 
jected), and  the  teaching  from  the  kind  of  workers 
turned  out.  Through  the  business  relation  the  students 


ORGANIZATION    AND    WORK  23 

quickly  feel  the  necessity  of  good  finish,  rapid  work, 
and  responsibility  to  deliver  on  time.  (3)  The  orders 
bring  in  a  money  return  and  thus  aid  the  school  in  the 
expense  for  material.  (4)  The  businesslike  appear- 
ance of  the  shops  at  work  on  the  orders  and  the  ex- 
perience trade  has  had  with  the  product  have  increased 
the  confidence  of  employers  of  labor  in  the  ability  of  the 
school  to  train  practical  workers  for  the  trades.  The 
school  is  constantly  urged  by  trade  to  increase  its  order 
work,  but  its  unfaltering  policy  is  to  take  only  the 
amount  needed  for  educational  purposes.  (5)  The 
business  organization  and  management  required  in  the 
adequate  conduct  of  a  large  order  department  can  itself 
be  utilized  for  educational  purposes,  and  has  its  value 
for  training  students  who  show  promise  of  becoming 
good  stock  clerks. 

Trade  workers  are  employed  in  the  business  shops 
connected  with  the  various  departments.  These  assist- 
ants have  proved  their  value  in  making  the  best  utiliza- 
tion of  the  order  work.  They  facilitate  the  completion 
of  the  work  on  time  and  help  train  the  girls  to  feel 
responsible  for  their  share  of  it.  As  the  students  work 
slowly  at  first,  and  as  their  hours  in  the  shops  are 
interrupted  by  other  studies,  the  trade  workers,  when 
necessary,  continue  with  or  complete  the  articles  while 
the  girls  are  absent.  They  make  possible  the  tradelike 
organization  of  the  shops,  for  each  one  has  around  her 
her  own  little  groups  of  assistants,  and  she  teaches  them 
while  she  also  works.  Constant  repetition  of  the  same 
process  ceases,  after  a  time,  to  be  valuable  to  a  student, 
hence  her  time  must  not  be  wasted  by  too  simple  work 


24  THE    MAKING   OF   A   TRADE    SCHOOL 

or  by  unnecessary  details.  It  often  happens  also  that 
an  article  may  require  expert  work  in  its  completion 
which  the  students  cannot  yet  do;  the  trade  workers 
select  for  each  girl  the  process  which  will  be  of  value 
to  her,  and  then  do  the  work  the  students  cannot  do  or 
should  not  do. 

The  following  lists  will  show  the  class  of  orders 
which  have  been  demanded  by  trade  and  turned  out 
by  the  school : 

Operating  Department  Orders:  i.  Trade  Work:  Ribbon 
run  on  webbing  for  suspenders,  infants'  dresses — 
eight  different  styles,  children's  aprons — two  differ- 
ent styles,  hemstitching  and  embroidery  for  yokes, 
ruffling — hem  and  hemstitched,  faggotting. 

2.  Individual  Custom  Orders :  Dressing  sacques,  aprons 
(kitchen,   gingham,   and   work),   gymnasium    suits, 
waists,   children's   dresses,   corset   covers,   drawers, 
skirts    and    chemise,    sheets,    pillowslips,    curtains, 
straw  hats,  fancy  petticoats,  kimonos,  handkerchiefs, 
fancy  neckwear,  infants'  outfits,  boys'  waists,  quilt- 
ing, hemstitching  by  yard,  silk  waists  and  dresses 
hemstitched,  tucking  by  yard,  waists,  collars,  cuffs, 
and  cloth  embroidered,  initials  on  linen  and  mono- 
grams on  saddle  cloths,  ruffling  by  yard. 

3.  Order  Work  for  Other  Departments :  Dressmaking : 
Machine  work  on  nightgowns,  corset  covers,  drawers, 
combination  suits,   petticoats,   kimonos,   gymnasium 
bloomers,   swimming   suits,   buttonholes,   hemstitch- 
ing on  silk  skirts,  dresses,  waists;  Bonnaz  embroid- 
ery on  dresses,  waists.    Millinery :  Veils  hemstitched. 
Art:   Pencil   and  brush  cases.     Office:   Coats   and 
overalls  for  janitors  employed  in  school. 

Dressmaking  Department  Orders:  Aprons,  petticoats, 
maids'  dresses;  machine-made  underwear;  collars 


ORGANIZATION   AND   WORK  25 

and  neckwear;  nurses'  uniforms;  swimming,  bath- 
ing, and  gymnasium  suits ;  children's  and  baby 
clothes ;  fine  handmade  underwear ;  plain  shirtwaists, 
fine  waists,  afternoon  gowns,  street  suits,  evening 
gowns,  cloth  suits  tailored. 

Pasting  and  Novelty  Orders:  Mounting  suspender  web- 
bing, mounting  corset  samples,  pasting  suspender 
tabs  and  sockets,  case  making.  Desk  sets,  lamp- 
shades, and  candleshades. 

Art  Department  Orders:  i.  Trade  Order  Work:  Stamp- 
ing, perforating,  coloring  fashion  plates,  stencil 
cutting. 

2.  Custom    Work:    Stenciling    curtains,    scarfs,    table 
covers,    sofa   pillows;    designing   patterns    for    em- 
broidery   for   table   covers,    doilies,    bags,    buttons, 
shirtwaists,  skirts,  parasols,  and  chiffon  scarfs. 

3.  Order   Work   for   Other   Departments:   Decorating 
book   covers,   desk  sets,  boxes,   dress  trimmings — 
panels,  lapels,  vests ;  collars  and  cuffs,  insertions  for 
hand  and  machine ;  banding  for  hats,  letters,  mono- 
grams :  designs  for  doilies,  scarfs,  curtains,  work- 
bags. 

PLACEMENT   BUREAU 

Y  From  the  first  the  school  made  some  provision  for 
placing  its  pupils  satisfactorily  in  the  trades  for  which 
they  are  trained.  X  Originally  the  heads  of  departments 
attended  to  it,  each  for  her  own  students,  but  as  the 
school  grew  and  the  department  work  increased  this 
method  ceased  to  be  practical.  An  arrangement  was  made, 
therefore,  with  the  Alliance  Employment  Bureau  to  place 
the  girls  of  the  Manhattan  Trade  School  when  they  were 
ready  to  leave  the  school  or  whenever  they  applied  for 
help  thereafter.  This  was  a  most  helpful  connection 


26  THE   MAKING   OF   A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

when  the  work  was  beginning,  but  it  was  understood 
that  when  the  school  reached  the  point  in  its  develop- 
ment where  the  volume  of  business  was  great  enough, 
and  other  conditions  warranted  it,  a  Placement  Bureau 
should  be  opened  in  the  school  itself.  This  long-cherished 
idea  went  into  operation  in  October,  1908,  when  a  Place- 
ment Secretary  was  engaged  and  the  school  bureau  was 
opened.  This  plan  has  already  proved  advantageous. 
In  the  first  place  a  bureau  so  situated  can,  by  keeping 
in  constant  touch  with  the  departments,  obtain  intimate 
and  detailed  information  about  the  character,  the  work, 
the  special  aptitudes,  and  the  physique  of  each  girl.  Such 
data  are  extremely  valuable  in  making  wise  placements, 
but  are  difficult  of  access  for  an  outside  agency.  In  the 
second  place  such  a  school  bureau,  open  to  graduates, 
tends  to  bring  them  occasionally  to  it,  and  thus  strength- 
ens their  interest  in  and  loyalty  to  the  school  by  giving 
a  practical  reality  to  their  connection  with  it. 

Aims 

The  aims  and  working  plans  of  the  Placement  Bureau 
are  the  following:  (i)  To  secure  suitable  positions  for 
girls  leaving  the  school — those  forced  out  by  poverty 
as  well  as  those  who  have  really  completed  their  courses. 
The  problem  is  to  get  the  square  peg  into  the  square 
hole,  and  it  is  solved  by  having  a  very  intimate  know- 
ledge of  each  peg,  and  by  knowing  of  as  large  a  variety 
of  holes  as  possible  from  which  to  choose.  (2)  To  be 
a  means  of  connection  and  communication  between  the 
school  and  the  trades,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  school 
and  its  former  pupils  on  the  other.  (3)  To  gather  data 


ORGANIZATION   AND   WORK  2/ 

about  trade  conditions  that  shall  be  helpful  to  the  several 
departments,  or  in  deciding  school  policies.  (4)  To 
build  up  a  series  of  records  that  shall  be  of  general 
sociological  value  as  well  as  of  immediate  use  for  school 
purposes. 

Kinds  and  Methods  of  Work 

In  connection  with  the  placement  itself  there  are  four 
lines  of  activity: 

1.  Interviews  in  the  office,  when  girls  come  in  to 
apply  for  positions,  and  when  employers  ask  for  workers. 
Much  valuable  data  as  to  the  experiences  of  the  girls 
who  have  been  some  time  in  the  trade  have  been  gathered 
in  this  way.     In  the  case  of  the  employer,  if  he  is  not 
already  familiar  with  the  school,  an  effort  is  made  to 
induce  him  (or  her)  to  go  through  it. 

2.  Trade  Visits  of  investigation.     It  is  the  policy 
of  the  Bureau  not  to  place  a  girl  in  any  establishment 
until  it  has  been  visited,  unless  it  is  one  already  well 
known  to  the  school,  in  which  case  the  visit  may  follow 
instead  of  preceding  the  placement.     These  visits  are 
often  made  upon  the  request  of  employers  or  in  response 
to  advertisements,  if,  as  sometimes  happens,  a  girl  wishes 
to  be  placed  and  the  employers  already  known  do  not 
need  additional  help. 

3.  "Following  up."    After  the  girls  are  placed  it  is 
necessary  to  keep  track  of  them.     In  order  to  do  this 
satisfactorily,  blanks  have  been  printed  in  two  different 
forms,   one    for   the   employer   and   the   other    for   the 
worker.    The  former  asks  about  the  quality  of  the  girl's 
work  (whether  it  is  satisfactory,  and  if  not,  why  not) 


28  THE   MAKING   OF  A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

and  about  her  wages.  The  latter  asks  the  girl  to  report 
on  her  work,  wages,  and  shop  conditions.  By  this  sys- 
tem the  Placement  Secretary  is  able  to  keep  in  close 
touch  with  the  students  who  have  been  placed,  and  to 
hear  and  act  upon  complaints  from  either  employer  or 
girl  with  a  promptness  that  often  has  the  result  of  estab- 
lishing the  worker  in  a  "good"  place  or,  occasionally, 
rescuing  her  from  a  poor  one.  Employers  are  almost 
uniformly  prompt  and  courteous  in  returning  the  reports, 
and  all  but  a  very  small  percentage  of  the  students  are 
equally  responsive.  In  cases  where  a  girl  is  not  heard 
from,  the  Students'  Aid  Secretary  makes  a  personal  visit 
to  her  home. 

4.  Keeping  of  Records.  Card  catalogues  are  kept, 
giving  the  full  data  obtainable  in  each  case:  (i)  for 
girls  applying  for  positions;  (2)  for  girls  placed; 
(3)  for  employers  visited;  (4)  for  employers  applying 
or  worth  investigating,  but  not  yet  visited.  All  data 
from  employers  and  girls  which  have  been  obtained  from 
the  blanks  before  mentioned  or  from  other  sources  are 
recorded  on  the  cards. 

The  Placement  Bureau,  in  addition  to  its  specific 
work,  performs  certain  services  for  the  general  benefit 
of  the  school.  Data  are  obtained  as  to  the  conditions  of 
work  and  wage  in  certain  trades  and  the  length  of  train- 
ing advisable  in  others.  Advice  from  the  trade  is  often 
needed  in  one  or  another  of  the  departments,  and 
through  the  Bureau's  acquaintance  with  employers, 
managers,  or  foremen  and  forewomen,  it  is  able  to 
ascertain  and  report  their  expert  opinion.  It  is  also 
possible  to  induce  some  of  these  busy  people  to  come 


ORGANIZATION    AND    WORK 


and  view  the  problem  in  the  light  of  conditions  at  the 
school  as  well  as  in  their  own  business. 

General  Results 

Although  the  Placement  Bureau  is  still  in  its  infancy, 
some  results  may  be  recorded.  It  is  already  in  touch 
with  some  700  employers,  about  550  having  been  per- 
sonally visited.  The  table  below  gives  the  facts  as  to 
placements  in  former  years,  and  may  be  interesting  for 
comparison. 

GIRLS  PLACED  AND  REPORTED  UPON 


By  Self  or 
School. 

By  Alliance 
Employment 
Bureau. 

Total. 

o 

o 

o 

1001  . 

•IQ 

7 

46 

C2 

^6 

88 

IQOC 

2O 

61 

oo 

22 

81 

yw 
IOT. 

IQO7   . 

IO 

77 

1<JJ 
87 

IQ08  . 

no 

•IQ 

ic8 

1909  By  school    

I  "\7 

jy 
I 

*y 
i«8 

428 

302 

730 

This  refers  merely  to  the  original  or  first  placement 
of  a  girl.  The  total  of  replacements  for  1909  was  an 
additional  230,  including  those  of  many  former  pupils 


THE   MAKING   OF   A   TRADE   SCHOOL 


who  had  heretofore  placed  themselves  or  been  placed 
by  the  Alliance  Employment  Bureau. 

The  crucial  question  of  wages  is  one  that  is  extremely 
difficult  to  deal  with  in  brief.  The  accompanying  table 
gives  a  very  general  statement  as  to  the  range  of  wages 
obtained  by  graduates  and  the  future  possibilities  in 
their  trades,  and  read  in  the  light  of  the  comment  below 
it  is  as  specifically  accurate  as  any  "summary"  can  be. 


Trade. 

Wages  When 
First  Placed. 

After  Two  to 
Five  Years. 

Future 
Possibilities. 

1903 

1909 

Dressmaking  . 

$3  to  #5 

$4  to  $6 

$6  to  #13 

$25  or  own 
establishment 

Millinery     .    . 

2.50  to    4 

4 

5  to    15 

12  to  25  or  own 
establishment 

Operating    .    . 

3  to    6 

4  to  ii 

6  to    25 

15  to  40 

Novelty  .    .    . 

4  to    5 

4  to    9* 

6  to    ii 

18  to  25 

Art  since  1907 

5  to    8 

4  to    7 

7  to    15 

20  to  30 

*This  maximum  is  not  in  paste  or  glue  work,  but  in  the  silk  lampshade  trade. 

The  column  for  1909  shows  that  at  last  a  minimum 
wage  of  $4.00  has  been  established  for  all  the  trades 
named,  even  Millinery.  There  are  exceptions,  but  they 
are  almost  always  due  to  some  special  disability  on  the 
part  of  the  girl,  and  do  not  fairly  affect  a  statement 
regarding  the  wage  for  girls  of  normal  capacity,  who 
have  done  satisfactory  work  during  their  course.  The 
small  percentage  of  pupils  who  fall  below  $4.00  for  their 


ORGANIZATION    AND    WORK  3! 

initial  wage  are  those  who  either  did  not  complete  the 
school  course,  or  who  did  poor  work,  or  who  are  sub- 
normal mentally  or  handicapped  physically,  or  can  work 
only  an  eight-hour  day  because  they  are  under  sixteen. 
It  is  true  that  when  they  are  obliged  to  start  on  piece- 
work instead  of  a  week-wage  their  earnings  may  fall 
below  our  minimum  for  a  short  time,  but  the  first  week 
or  two  is  in  that  case  not  usually  a  fair  test  of  the 
girl's  training  or  ability.  Some  little  time  is  necessary 
for  the  readjustment  involved  in  the  change  from  school 
to  workroom,  and  especially  for  attaining  the  "speed" 
necessary  to  earn  a  fair  wage  on  trade  piece-rates.  The 
compensating  advantage  is  that  when  she  does  begin  to 
"make  good"  her  improvement  is  usually  registered  in 
her  earnings  more  quickly  and  accurately  than  it  would 
be  by  the  safe  but  slowly  advancing  "week- work." 
If  after  two  weeks,  however,  the  girl  is  earning  less 
than  $4.00,  and  thinks  she  "never  can  make  out  there," 
she  is  given  an  opportunity  to  change  her  place.  But 
very  often  there  is  a  sudden  jump  in  earnings  after  ten 
days  or  so,  as  the  girl  gains  confidence  and  speed.  (One 
pupil  earned  $3.97  her  first  week  on  buttonholes,  and 
over  $7.00  the  second.)  Another  point  to  be  considered 
in  connection  with  the  wage  is  the  length  of  the  season 
and  the  duration  of  any  one  place.  The  comparatively 
steady  work  and  regular,  if  small,  advance  in  the  dress- 
making, for  instance,  will  often  counterbalance  the  larger 
week-wage  or  piece-work  earnings  of  the  trades  where 
the  season  is  short  or  the  positions  of  uncertain  duration. 
On  the  "rate  of  advance"  in  wage  the  Bureau  is  as 
yet  too  young  to  make  any  general  statements. 


32  THE    MAKING   OF   A    TRADE    SCHOOL 

Students'  Aid 

J*& 

•^'On  account  of  the  extreme  poverty  in  the  families 

of  many  of  the  students,  some  system  of  aid  has  always 
been  necessary.  The  manner  of  giving  it  has  changed, 
however,  that  it  may  be  free  from  all  tendency  to  pauper- 
ize or  to  deprive  the  recipient  of  self-respecting  effort. 
At  first  it  took  the  form  of  a  scholarship,  paid  at  the 
school  every  week,  in  equal  amounts,  to  each  student. 
A  few  months'  experience,  however,  showed  that  it  would 
"be  better  to  require  a  month's  apprenticeship  without 
pay.  If  after  that  the  girl  was  allowed  to  continue  her 
course,  she  was  given  a  dollar  a  week  during  her  second 
month.  Each  month  thereafter  the  amount  was  increased 
according  to  the  skill  and  good  spirit  which  were  evident 
in  her  work.  The  maximum  amount  a  student  could 
receive  in  one  year  was  $ioo.<^' 

X  ^r\ 

Early  in  the  second  year  it  became  clear  that  a  still 

more  radical  change  was  advisable,  and  a  plan  was 
adopted  whereby  the  need  of  the  girl's  family  became 
the  only  basis  upon  which  money  was  given.  A  commit- 
tee was  formed,  whose  membership  was  composed  prin- 
cipally of  workers  from  the  leading  social  settlements. 
Each  applicant  for  aid  was  referred  to  the  member  of 
the  committee  living  nearest  her  home.  An  investigation 
was  made  by  the  settlement  worker,  and  aid  was  given 
in  proportion  to  the  necessity,  varying  in  amount  from 
car  fare  to  the  equivalent  of  a  small  wage.  The  girl 
went  weekly  to  the  settlement  for  the  money.  In  this 
way  the  aid  was  separated  as  far  as  possible  from  the 
school  atmosphere,  and  it  was  made  clear  to  the  girls 


ORGANIZATION    AND   WORK  33 

and  their  families  that  the  money  was  in  no  sense  pay 
for  work.  As  indicative  of  this  change  in  viewpoint, 
the  term  "Scholarship"  was  replaced  by  that  of  "Stu- 
dents' Aid."  In  addition  to  its  other  advantages,  the 
new  method  reduced  the  cost  for  aid  to  less  than  one- 
half  of  its  original  proportion.  V 

Since  this  time  the  aim  has  been  always  the  same — 
to  aid  the  girl  handicapped  by  poverty  so  that  she  might 
prepare  herself  for  efficient  wage-earning.  A  member 
of  the  school  staff  is  secretary  of  the  Students'  Aid 
Committee,  and  she  knows  personally  every  applicant 
wishing  aid,  and  makes  the  initial  visits  and  investiga- 
tions. This  plan  has  proved  advantageous  in  making  a 
closer  connection  between  the  school  and  the  home,  and 
in  securing  a  more  uniform  standard  of  relief. 

The  Students'  Aid  Committee  consists  at  present  of 
representatives  from  sixteen  settlements,  who  meet  twice 
a  month  to  discuss  and  decide  upon  the  merit  of  each 
applicant.  If  aid  is  granted,  the  girl  is  assigned  to  the 
settlement  nearest  her  home  and  goes  there  weekly  for 
her  money.  An  envelope  showing  the  amount  due  the 
girl  is  sent  from  the  school  to  the  settlement  worker, 
and  on  this  is  indicated  any  absence  or  tardiness.  It  is 
one  of  the  duties  of  the  member  of  the  committee  to 
inquire  the  reasons  for  any  irregularity  in  attendance, 
and,  if  necessary,  to  report  to  the  parent.  In  addition, 
each  settlement  worker  renders  valuable  service  by 
giving  friendly  oversight  to  the  girls  and  families  in 
her  group,  by  doing  as  much  for  their  welfare  as  time 
will  allow,  and  by  reporting  any  unusual  conditions  to 
the  Students'  Aid  Secretary. 


34  THE   MAKING  OF   A  TRADE   SCHOOL 

Students  are  at  times  sent  to  the  school  for  instruc- 
tion with  a  request  for  aid  from  some  charitable 
institution,  church,  hospital,  school,  or  settlement  which 
knows  and  is  interested  in  the  family;  but,  in  general, 
a  girl  needing  financial  help  comes  without  such  recom- 
mendations, and  consequently  a  more  thorough  investi- 
gation of  the  case  is  necessary.  Inquiry  is  always  made 
at  first  of  the  Charity  Organization  Society,  in  order  to 
learn  whether  her  family  has  received  or  is  receiving 
other  relief.  The  "trial  month"  without  aid  gives  time 
for  the  gathering  of  facts  about  the  family,  and  for  a 
test  of  the  girl's  ability  and  character.  Aid  is  never 
promised  to  a  girl  before  her  admission. 

A  useful  method  has  been  worked  out  for  deter- 
mining the  amount  of  aid  which  may  be  given  in  any 
one  case.  The  total  amount  of  the  family  income  is 
obtained,  and  from  it  are  deducted  the  fixed  expenses 
for  rent,  insurance,  and  car  fare.  From  the  remainder 
the  per  capita  income  is  found  which  must  provide  for 
all  other  expenses,  that  is,  for  each  person's  share  of 
food,  clothing,  light,  fuel,  medicine,  and  all  incidentals. 
It  was  estimated  that  a  family  could  not  maintain  a 
decent  standard  of  living  on  a  per  capita  income  of  less 
than  $1.50  a  week.  Although  each  case  is  considered 
on  its  merits,  aid  is  almost  always  given  when  the  per 
capita  income  is  less  than  $1.50;  in  some  special  cases 
it  is  granted  when  the  income  exceeds  this  amount. 
The  following  table  shows  the  income  of  the  seventy- 
eight  families  that  were  being  aided  by  the  school  on 
June  3,  1909. 


ORGANIZATION    AND   WORK 


35 


Weekly  per  Capita 
Income. 

Number  of  Families. 

$  .00  to  $  .49 

16 

.50  to      .99 

26 

i.oo  to    1.49 

20 

1.50  to    1.99 

10 

2.OO  to      2.49 

3 

2.50  to    2.99 

I 

3.00  to    3.49 

2 

Relief  given  by  charitable  institutions  has  not  been 
included  in  this  income. 

Each  girl  receiving  aid  is  told  the  reason  for  its 
bestowal  in  such  a  way  that  she  will  neither  look  upon 
it  as  money  earned  nor  feel  humiliated  as  a  recipient  of 
charity,  but  will  understand  that  it  should  mean  for  her 
an  opportunity  to  obtain  a  good  education.  It  there- 
fore is  incumbent  upon  her  to  show  a  realization  of  its 
value  by  becoming  a  responsible  and  earnest  worker. 
Students  receiving  such  assistance  are  expected  to  attend 
regularly,  unless  for  excellent  reasons,  and  the  reports 
from  their  departments  must  be  satisfactory  in  regard 
to  their  work,  attitude,  and  effort.  If  a  girl  varies  from 
this  standard  and,  after  talking  with  her  or  with  one 
of  her  parents,  no  improvement  follows,  the  aid  may  be 
suspended  or  withdrawn.  Improving  circumstances  in 
a  family  occasionally  make  it  possible  to  decrease  or  even 
to  give  up  the  aid.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  often  found 


36  THE   MAKING  OF  A  TRADE   SCHOOL 

necessary  to  ask  additional  assistance  from  special  phil- 
anthropic sources  when  the  need  is  very  great. 

Night  Classes 

Night  continuation  classes  are  a  part  of  the  aim  of 
the  school.  They  have  offered  training  in  expert  parts 
of  the  Operating,  Dressmaking,  Novelty,  Millinery,  and 
Art  trades.  The  classes  were  well  attended,  the  work 
successful,  and  continued  application  for  the  renewal 
of  the  instruction  has  been  received.  This  class  of 
education  requires  the  most  skilled  teachers  and  is  con- 
sequently expensive.  Lack  of  money  to  conduct  both 
the  day  and  the  night  work  adequately  has  made  it 
necessary  to  close  the  night  classes  temporarily.  There 
is  every  reason  to  hope,  however,  that  they  will  be  re- 
opened in  the  near  future,  with  still  greater  facilities 
for  teaching  the  advanced  parts  of  the  trades. 

Student  Government 

The  Student  Council  concerns  itself  with  the  govern- 
ment of  the  school,  the  aim  being  to  place  it  as  far  as 
possible  in  the  hands  of  the  students.  It  also  assists 
in  developing  their  sense  of  responsibility.  The  Council 
is  composed  of  representatives  elected  from  each  class, 
who  have  been  chosen  for  their  executive  ability  and 
good  character.  They  meet  once  a  week  with  one  of  the 
supervisors  to  discuss  questions  of  general  school  dis- 
cipline and  regulations.  Each  member  is  responsible 
for  maintaining  order  in  her  class  when  it  is  not  under 
other  supervision,  for  settling  disputes  among  the  girls, 
and  for  reporting  disobedience  to  school  laws. 


ORGANIZATION   AND   WORK  37 

Graduate  and  Department  Clubs 

Some  form  of  alumnae  association  has  been  in  exist- 
ence since  the  end  of  the  first  school  year.  This 
important  phase  of  the  Trade  School  work  is  now 
thoroughly  organized,  and  gains  for  us  the  warm  co- 
operation of  those  who  have  benefited  by  the  instruction. 
The  Graduate*  Association  includes  those  who  have 
received  the  certificate  of  the  school;  the  department 
clubs,  however,  are  more  democratic,  and  admit  to  mem- 
bership any  girl  who  has  been  in  attendance.  These 
associations  work  together  for  the  benefit  of  the  school. 
They  hold  frequent  business  as  well  as  social  meetings. 
They  plan  definite  ways  for  getting  in  touch  with  Man- 
hattan Trade  School  girls  who  are  just  entering  trade, 
in  order  to  help  them  to  adjust  themselves  to  their  work 
and  to  increase  in  them  loyalty  and  responsibility  to  the 
school;  for  improving  themselves  and  working  girls  in 
general  by  discussing  topics  of  interest  concerning  their 
trades,  and  by  giving  entertainments  which  are  of  real 
interest  and  value.  They  have  carried  out  schemes  for 
adding  to  the  general  finances  of  the  school  or  for 
obtaining  money  for  special  objects,  such  as  shower  baths 
for  the  gymnasium.  They  have  given  several  suppers 
to  bring  the  faculty  and  former  students  together,  in 
order  to  discuss  informally  trade  and  school  matters. 


PART   II 

REPRESENTATIVE   PROBLEMS1 

THE  organizing  of  a  girls'  trade  school  in  any  given 
locality  necessitates  the  meeting  of  many  problems  of  a 
serious  nature.  Some  of  these  appear  immediately  and 
require  consideration  before  a  satisfactory  curriculum 
can  be  developed,  but  most  of  them  are  hydra-headed, 
and  one  phase  is  no  sooner  settled  than  another  arises. 
Attention  must  be  given  to  them  whenever  they  come  if 
any  progress  is  to  be  made  in  solving  the  question  of  the 
broadest  and  yet  most  practical  education  for  the  girl 
who  must  earn  her  living  in  trade.  These  problems  are 
so  connected  with  the  keenest  yet  most  obscure  social 
and  industrial  questions  of  the  day  on  one  hand,  and, 
on  the  other,  with  the  future  of  the  race,  that  they  are 
often  very  puzzling.  Some  of  them  can  never  be  entirely 
settled,  though  they  can  be  temporarily  adjusted  to  imme- 
diate needs.  The  following  are  selected  as  representative. 

Direct  Trade  Training 

Many  schools  of  a  domestic  or  technical  nature  have 
been  opened  in  the  United  States,  but  the  instruction  in 
them  is  for  the  home  or  for  educational  purposes  rather 
than  for  business.  The  trades,  if  they  are  represented 
at  all  in  these  schools,  are  general  in  character,  covering 
often  many  branches  of  an  industry  in  a  short  series  of 

1  In  order  to  explain  these  problems,  it  will  be  necessary  to  repeat 
some  of  the  data  in  Part  I. 

38 


REPRESENTATIVE    PROBLEMS  39 

lessons,  and  not  having  the  particular  subdivisions  and 
special  equipment  which  are  found  at  present  in  the 
regular  market.  Employers  of  labor  have  not  been  favor- 
ably impressed  with  the  practical  usefulness  of  the 
graduates  in  their  workrooms.  As  the  sole  reason  for 
the  existence  of  the  Manhattan  Trade  School  is  to  meet 
this  requirement  of  employers,  and  therefore  to  develop 
a  better  class  of  wage-earners  directly  adapted  to  trade 
needs,  the  instruction  must  be  in  accord  with  methods 
in  the  shops  and  factories  of  New  York  City.  Such 
specific  trade  education  for  fourteen-year-old  girls  was 
new,  and  therefore  the  problem  of  organization  had  to 
be  faced  for  the  first  time  in  America.  Careful  study  of 
the  workrooms  and  the  industrial  conditions  of  New 
York  City  was  essential  before  the  aims  or  the  curricu- 
lum could  be  decided  upon  and  the  school  could  be 
opened  for  instruction.  Furthermore,  if  the  training 
is  to  be  kept  up  to  date  this  study  of  trade  conditions 
must  not  cease,  and  readjustments  of  the  curriculum 
must  equal  the  changes  taking  place  in  the  outside 
workrooms.  Consequently  these  problems  must  be  met 
repeatedly. 

Need  of  Preliminary  Training 

On  beginning  the  trade  courses  at  the  school  a  diffi- 
culty was  discovered  immediately  which  brought  home 
the  truth  of  the  complaint  made  by  trade  that  young 
workers  are  utterly  incompetent.  The  students  coming 
to  the  school  were  allowed  by  law  to  enter  trade,  as 
they  had  met  all  requirements  for  obtaining  their  work- 
ing papers,  but  they  were  not  found  to  have  sufficient 


40  THE    MAKING   OF   A    TRADE    SCHOOL 

foundation  to  begin  the  first  simple  steps  at  the  school 
without  some  preliminary  training.  The  defects  which 
were  especially  evident  were:  (i)  lack  of  sufficient  skill 
with  the  hand;  (2)  inability  to  utilize  their  public  school 
academic  work  in  practical  trade  problems;  (3)  dull- 
ness in  taking  orders  and  in  thinking  clearly  of  the  needs 
which  arise;  (4)  absence  of  ideals;  and  (5)  need  of 
knowledge  of  the  laws  of  health  and  how  to  apply  them. 
Preliminary,  elementary  instruction  in  all  of  these  sub- 
jects had,  therefore,  to  be  organized  and  given  to  the 
entering  students  before  they  could  begin  upon  their 
true  trade  work.  Such  instruction  is  and  will  continue 
to  be  necessary  unless  the  public  elementary  school 
arranges  to  give,  between  the  fifth  and  eighth  grades,  a 
more  satisfactory  preparation  to  those  who  must  earn 
their  living.  The  Manhattan  Trade  School  has  been 
obliged  to  give  from  two  to  eight  months  to  elementary 
branches  of  instruction  alone.  The  kind  of  work  needed 
varies  constantly  with  the  condition  of  the  students. 
Every  one  requires  some  of  it,  but  many  must  take 
months  of  tutoring.  Public  instruction  could  readily 
give  the  practical  academic  work  which  the  school  has 
organized.  Such  instruction  would  not  only  directly  help 
the  pupils  who  must  leave  early  to  work,  but  would  lay 
a  good  foundation  for  the  vocational  education  which 
is  being  planned  for  the  early  years  of  the  public 
secondary  schools. 

Vocational  Training 

As  the  courses  at  the  Manhattan  Trade  School  devel- 
oped,   an   intermediate   phase   between   the   preparatory 


REPRESENTATIVE   PROBLEMS  41 

work  and  the  direct  trade  training  took  definite  shape. 
This  middle  ground  partakes  in  many  ways  of  trade 
processes  and  lays  a  good  foundation  for  shop  work. 
It  utilizes  the  early  education,  gives  point  .to  it,  awakens 
in  the  student  enthusiasm  for  her  chosen  trade,  and 
shows  her  that  it  is  worth  her  while  to  work  hard  if  she 
would  succeed.  It  takes  from  four  to  eight  months, 
according  to  the  student's  ability  to  meet  the  require- 
ments. Public  instruction  could  also  develop  this  inter- 
mediate field  to  advantage  for  those  who,  not  wishing 
to  enter  the  regular  high  school  course,  would  be  glad 
to  avail  themselves  of  further  practical  education.  Such 
occupations  for  women  as  cooking,  sewing,  garment  and 
dressmaking,  millinery,  laundry  work,  home  nursing, 
household  administration,  care  of  children,  novelty  work, 
electric  power  operating,  salesmanship,  and  other  inter- 
esting activities  can  well  be  offered  in  Vocational  Educa- 
tion. As  the  student  in  her  chosen  field  plans,  considers 
expenses,  and  contrives  to  utilize  her  material  she  gains 
skill,  adaptability,  judgment,  and  the  true  basis  of  criti- 
cism. The  world's  work  interests  her  as  its  meaning 
becomes  clear  through  her  own  experiences,  and  she 
begins  to  see  ways  to  better  her  condition  and  to  be  a 
factor  in  the  improvement  of  her  home.  She  appreciates 
the  value  of  her  early  education,  and  finds  it  worth  while 
to  think  clearly  and  to  act  wisely;  she  listens  to  instruc- 
tions, asks  sensible  directions,  and  goes  to  work  without 
waste  of  time.  The  elementary  and  intermediate  train- 
ing just  described,  which  the  school  found  it  must  give 
preparatory  to  its  real  trade  instruction,  has  proved 
advantageous  as  an  introduction,  for  the  student  can 


42  THE    MAKING   OF   A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

now  quickly  adapt  herself  to  the  work  in  the  school  shops, 
as  she  possesses  the  foundation  qualities  needed  to  make 
the  best  worker.  She  has  to  begin  at  the  simplest  trade 
work,  to  be  sure,  but  can  rise  as  rapidly  as  she  shows 
ability.  She  has  been  carefully  watched  by  her  instruc- 
tors and  turned  gradually  in  the  direction  best  fitted  to 
her. 

Trade  Shops 

Offering  courses  in  many  varieties  of  trade  work 
exactly  as  they  are  found  in  a  city  like  New  York  has 
many  recurring  difficulties,  as  has  been  before  stated. 
The  constant  and  rapid  adaptations  to  fashion,  the  new 
mechanical  devices  introduced,  and  the  labor  situations 
are  factors  to  be  considered.  The  management  must  be 
ready  at  a  moment's  notice  to  change,  increase,  or  drop 
work  according  to  the  demands  of  a  fickle  market.  It 
would  seem,  therefore,  that  at  present  the  problems  of 
the  school  trade  shops  are  of  too  serious  and  unsettled 
a  character  for  adequate  solution  by  public  instruction 
as  at  present  organized,  for  (i)  it  would  be  difficult  to 
persuade  the  mass  of  taxpayers  that  added  tax  rates  are 
advisable  for  beginning  a  continually  altering  form  of 
education  which  has  not  yet  commended  itself  to  all 
employers  or  to  all  wage-earners,  and  which  must  be 
more  or  less  expensive;  (2)  the  usual  public  school 
committee  man  knows  little  of  trade  conditions,  and 
would  probably  be  averse  to  allowing  a  school  the 
freedom  to  change  at  will  its  course  of  study  and  even 
the  very  trades  it  teaches ;  yet,  on  the  other  hand,  if  the 
trade  school  must  wait  for  board  action  before  altering 
its  plans,  it  would  prejudice  the  value  of  its  instruction, 


REPRESENTATIVE   PROBLEMS  43 

which  must  be  flexible  if  it  would  train  its  students 
directly  for  the  market;  (3)  the  impossibility  of  obtain- 
ing its  teachers  from  the  usual  "waiting  list"  and  the 
difficulties  attending  the  selection  of  a  satisfactory 
teaching  force. 

The  possibilities  for  offering  highly  specialized, 
skilled  work  are  great,  but  the  poverty  of  the  students 
limits  their  time  at  the  day  school.  To  help  all  girls 
who  work,  and  who  wish  to  get  ahead,  night  classes 
have  been  organized  from  time  to  time,  and  during  the 
day  also  temporary  instruction  is  offered  to  any  one  who 
has  a  slack  time  in  her  trade.  As  the  school  is  organized 
into  trade  shops,  with  the  same  specialization  as  in  the 
market,  a  student  can  enter  or  be  placed  from  almost 
any  point.  This  increases  its  usefulness  but  complicates 
its  management. 

Obtaining  and  Training  Teachers 

As  trade  instruction  is  new  in  education,  the  normal 
schools  have  not  begun  training  teachers  regularly  for 
these  positions,  nor,  indeed,  are  they  yet  prepared  to  do 
so.  The  organizer  of  a  trade  school  faces,  therefore,  a 
serious  difficulty  in  obtaining  instructors  who  are  ade- 
quate to  the  task  before  them. 

The  following  trade  teaching  staff  is  needed:  super- 
visors of  the  various  trades;  forewomen  to  direct  the 
school  shops;  trade  instructors  to  teach  the  various 
groups  of  students  the  specialized  processes;  assistants 
to  attend  to  minor  matters  in  the  workrooms;  art 
teachers,  who  have  had  experience  in  designing  for  the 
various  trades  represented;  academic  instructors  who 


44  THE   MAKING  OF  A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

know  the  working  world  practically  and  can  give  the 
students  a  training  which,  while  helping  them  in  their 
trades,  will  broaden  their  knowledge  of  and  sympathy 
in  the  world's  work.  All  of  these  teachers  must  not 
only  have  had  experience  in  trade,  but  must  continually 
keep  in  touch  with  the  methods  of  the  outside  market. 
Unsuccessful  trade  workers,  who  often  wish  to  teach, 
or  teachers  who  know  nothing  of  the  needs  of  trade 
workrooms,  cannot  adequately  prepare  students  for 
specific  trade  positions.  Trade  knows  what  it  wants, 
is  a  severe  critic  and  an  unsparing  judge.  The  trade 
school,  therefore,  cannot  afford  to  rely  on  instructors 
who  would  be  themselves  unsuccessful  in  the  market, 
for  the  result  would  be  certain  failure  in  the  students. 
Such  specific  training  requires  exceptional  knowledge  in 
its  teaching  force.  The  usual  teacher  of  manual  train- 
ing knows  too  little  of  the  ways  of  the  workrooms  and 
is  too  theoretical  in  her  instruction  to  be  trusted  to  train 
workers  who  must  satisfy  trade  demands.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  trade  worker,  good  as  she  may  be  in  her  spe- 
cialty, seldom  knows  how  to  teach.  She  can  drive  her 
group  of  workers,  but  she  cannot  train  the  green  hands 
to  do  more  than  work  quickly  at  one  thing.  She  can 
make  them  work,  but  she  cannot  make  them  better 
workers.  When  she  has  orders  to  turn  out,  her  lifelong 
training  makes  her  think  of  the  rapid  completion  of  the 
articles  rather  than  the  careful  development  of  the  stu- 
dents who  are  making  them.  If  she  is  not  watched  she 
will  choose  the  girl  to  do  a  piece  of  work  who  can  do 
it  well  and  quickly  (but  who  does  not  need  this  experi- 
ence), rather  than  the  one  who  should  do  it  in  order  to 
have  practice  in  it. 


REPRESENTATIVE   PROBLEMS  45 

The  problem  is  to  find  a  way  to  unite  the  good  teacher 
and  the  successful  worker.  Such  a  combination  appears 
at  rare  intervals.  At  the  present  time  the  teacher  who 
can  adequately  prepare  young  workers  for  trade  has  to 
be  taught  while  she  is  herself  teaching.  She  may  be 
chosen  from  either  the  industrial  or  the  educational  field, 
if  she  has  certain  qualities  of  mind  and  spirit,  but  she 
must  now  make  up  the  points  she  lacks,  be  it  experience 
in  trade  or  ability  to  teach.  Supervisors  need  special 
insight  and  capability,  as  they  are  called  upon  to  investi- 
gate a  new  and  difficult  field,  to  select  frohi  it  the  subjects 
needed,  and  after  that  to  organize  education  of  a  most 
practical  kind.  They  combine  the  duties  of  school  prin- 
cipal, teacher,  forewoman,  factory  superintendent,  and 
business  manager.  They  must  be  willing  to  give  them- 
selves to  the  cause,  as  they  are  responsible  for  the 
conduct  of  their  departments  throughout  the  year,  at 
night  as  well  as  during  the  day,  at  least  until  they  can 
train  some  one  to  whom  they  can  delegate  some  of  their 
responsibility.  They  need  a  broad,  cultural  education 
and,  at  the  same  time,  interest  and  knowledge  of  the 
industrial  problems  of  the  time,  as  well  as  experience 
in  their  particular  trade.  They  must  have  sympathy 
with  the  working  people  and  their  lives.  It  is  evident 
that  such  women  are  hard  to  find,  and  when  found  or 
when  trained  are  in  demand  by  other  institutions  or  in 
business  life,  in  which  places  they  can  command  high 
salaries.  All  efficient  trade  teachers  also  are  equally  in 
demand  in  workrooms,  hence  the  school  must  compete 
with  good  business  salaries  in  place  of  the  usual  under- 
pay of  educational  institutions. 


46  THE    MAKING   OF   A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

In  addition  to  the  trade  teachers,  practical  instructors 
in  healthful  living  and  special  secretaries  needing  social 
knowledge  of  various  kinds  are  also  essential  in  the 
modern  trade  school  for  girls.  Their  training  adds  to 
the  director's  responsibilities,  for  no  one  at  present  has 
the  knowledge  and  experience  necessary. 

The  many  problems  connected  with  obtaining  an 
adequate  teaching  staff  seem  at  present  to  have  but  one 
solution,  i.  e.,  the  school  has  to  be  its  own  training  school 
for  its  faculty  to  a  greater  or  less  extent.  One  source 
of  assistant  teathers  has  been  found  in  students  who 
have  made  good  in  trade.  Pupils  of  fair  education  who 
show  skill  and  executive  ability  in  their  department  work 
and  who  later  succeed  in  their  trade  positions  have 
already  proved  helpful  when  brought  back  to  the  school. 
Such  girls  know  the  courses  of  instruction,  their  needs 
and  difficulties,  and  also  the  outside  workroom  demands. 
If  they  are  given  some  hints  in  methods  of  teaching, 
their  success  is  greater.  European  trade  schools  for  girls 
have  drawn  many  of  the  best  teachers  from  the  student 
body  and  have  organized  teachers'  training  classes  for 
them.  A  course  of  regular  training  for  trade  pupil 
teachers  should  be  given  later  in  American  training 
schools  to  meet  this  situation. 

Courses  of  Study 

As  the  changes  about  to  occur  in  the  market  must 
be  recognized  and  inserted  in  the  curriculum  in  time  for 
the  students  to  be  prepared  for  the  new  work  when  they 
are  placed,  set  courses  of  study  cannot  be  followed  with- 
out endangering  the  practical  value  of  the  teaching. 


REPRESENTATIVE    PROBLEMS  47 

Furthermore,  the  pupils  must  be  advanced  as  they  show 
ability,  and  their  different  characteristics  should  have 
consideration ;  hence  the  work  must  be  sufficiently  flexible 
and  adaptable  to  allow  for  increasing  one  kind  of  train- 
ing and  decreasing  another,  in  order  to  develop  a  girl's 
best  ability.  It  is  not  the  trade  courses  only  which 
should  be  fitted  to  the  need,  but  the  trade-art,  trade- 
academic,  and  physical  education  must  also  shift  and 
introduce  needed  material  as  quickly  as  would  the  market 
grasp  at  new  plans  for  the  workrooms.  Nor  is  it  suffi- 
cient that  the  curriculum  should  adapt  itself  merely  to 
training  girls  for  trade  positions.  It  is  never  to  be  for- 
gotten that  these  students  are  to  be  made  into  higher 
grade  workers  and  citizens,  and  that  the  greater  number 
of  them  will  marry.  In  general,  it  can  be  said  that 
woman's  entrance  into  industry  is  more  or  less  tempo- 
rary in  that  it  is  apt  to  precede  or  to  follow  marriage, 
and,  as  a  rule,  is  not  continuous.  Good  citizenship  for 
these  young  wage-earners  should  mean  the  better  home 
as  well  as  the  broader  views  of  industrial  life.  The 
inserting  into  an  already  too  brief  training  the  impor- 
tant factors  for  making  the  better  home-keeper  requires 
study  of  the  ethics  and  economics  of  home  and  social 
life  in  addition  to  the  study  of  the  industrial  situation, 
and  places  continuous  problems  before  the  faculty. 

Investigations 

In  order  to  be  in  vital  touch  with  the  practical  needs 
and  changes  of  the  market,  special  investigations  of  trade 
have  been  and  are  continually  conducted  by  the  faculty 
of  the  school.  Effort  is  made  by  them  also  to  keep  in 


48  THE    MAKING   OF    A    TRADE    SCHOOL 

close  contact  with  industrial  and  social  organizations  of 
workers  in  settlements,  clubs,  societies,  and  unions,  that 
all  phases  of  the  wage-earner's  life,  pleasures,  aims,  and 
needs,  may  be  appreciated.  The  pupils  in  attendance 
are  studied  to  know  their  conditions  of  health,  their 
tendencies,  their  needs,  their  improvement.  After  their 
entry  into  trade  they  are  kept  in  touch  with  the  school 
through  the  Placement  Bureau,  clubs,  graduate  associa- 
tions, and  also  by  visits  from  the  school's  investigator, 
in  order  to  note  the  effect  of  their  training  on  their 
self-support,  their  workrooms,  and  their  homes.  Groups 
of  trained  and  untrained  girls  are  compared,  that  differ- 
ences and  benefits  may  be  noted  and  the  true  situation 
may  be  clearly  understood. 

That  the  essentials  of  this  class  of  education  might 
be  grasped  as  far  as  possible,  the  director  of  the  school 
made  a  six  months'  investigation  of  the  professional 
schools  for  girls  on  the  continent  of  Europe.  This  study 
was  made  after  the  Manhattan  Trade  School  had  been 
organized  and  was  running  successfully.  The  problems 
were  then  well  in  hand,  and  advantage  could  be  taken 
the  better  of  differing  standpoints.  In  some  European 
countries  such  practical  instruction  has  been  established 
for  half  a  century.  Each  country  has  organized  the  work 
according  to  its  own  view  of  woman's  position  in  indus- 
trial and  domestic  l\fe.  Many  aspects  of  the  problem 
can  therefore  be  studied  and  various  courses  of  instruc- 
tion consulted.  This  investigation  covered  three  inter- 
esting fields.  First,  the  organization  of  the  schools, 
including  the  equipment ;  the  teachers  and  their  training  ; 
the  budget;  the  order  work;  the  relation  of  the  schoel 


REPRESENTATIVE   PROBLEMS  49 

to  employers;  the  placing  of  the  girls  in  positions;  the 
wages;  the  schemes  for  financial  aid,  and  the  work  of 
the  alumnae  associations.  Second,  the  trades  taught  and 
the  courses  of  instruction ;  the  general  education  required 
at  entrance  and  that  given  as  an  integral  part  of  trade; 
the  trade-art  courses;  the  housekeeping  and  training  of 
servants ;  the  development  of  ideas  of  better  living  and  the 
training  for  responsibility  in  home  and  trade  life.  Third, 
the  visiting  of  workrooms  employing  women ;  the  obtain- 
ing information  on  the  effect  of  trade  schools ;  the  stu- 
dents' usefulness  and  ability  to  advance,  and  a  survey 
of  the  crafts  conducted  in  the  homes  of  the  people. 

Trade  Order  Administration 

A  trade  school  must  do  its  skilled  handwork  in  the 
fashion  of  the  day  and  on  correct  materials,  yet  the 
students  are  too  poor  to  work  for  themselves.  A  school 
budget  cannot  supply  such  large  quantities  of  valuable 
materials  unless  it  can  get  some  return  for  them.  The 
school  shop  in  each  department,  where  orders  both  private 
and  custom  are  taken,  has  proved  advantageous>  but 
involves  great  problems  of  administration:  (i)  the 
actual  business  methods  and  management  connected  with 
the  invoices,  sales,  and  delivery  of  goods;  (2)  the  obtain- 
ing of  orders  needed  and  of  the  quantity  desirable ; 
(3)  the  taking  of  custom  orders,  fitting  the  customer, 
and  delivery  of  orders  on  time;  (4)  a  satisfactory  appor- 
tionment of  the  order  work  so  that  the  students  may 
profit  by  it  and  not  be  expected  to  continue  it  after  they 
have  had  sufficient  experience  of  one  kind,  or  if  they 
are  not  yet  able  to  do  the  elaborate  work  involved; 


5O  THE   MAKING  OF  A  TRADE   SCHOOL 

(5)  the  finding  of  operatives  who  will  do  what  the  stu- 
dents cannot  or  should  not  do;  (6)  the  expense  involved 
in  employing  workers  at  trade  prices  and  for  shorter 
hours;  (7)  the  cost  of  articles,  and  other  details  which 
are  involved  in  entering  into  competition  with  trade.  It 
may  be  stated  that  no  trade  school  should  underbid  the 
market,  but  should  charge  the  full  prices  and  expect  to 
give  equivalent  returns.  A  trade  school  cannot  afford 
to  be  an  amateur  supported  by  a  philanthropic  public, 
but  must  have  a  recognized  business  standard. 

V 

Placement 

Problems  of  varied  kinds  meet  the  school  in  placing 
its  students.  Each  new  enactment  of  child  labor  or 
industrial  laws  has  its  influence.  Even  a  good  law  will 
sometimes  have  a  temporary  serious  effect  in  lowering 
wages  or  turning  capable  girls  out  of  satisfactory  posi- 
tions. Care  must  be  exercised  that  students  are  not 
placed  where  there  is  a  possibility  of  running  counter 
to  the  best  interests  of  labor.  The  desire  to  place  each 
pupil  where  she  can  develop  to  her  highest  condition 
requires  continual  knowledge  of  the  market  needs  and 
of  the  characteristics  of  the  many  girls.  Records  of 
students  entering,  studying,  and  placed,  the  kinds  of  posi- 
tions open,  and  industrial  and  labor  information  must  be 
kept  up  to  date,  yet  such  data  are  often  hard  to  secure. 

Trade  Union  Attitude 

An  important  question  that  is  always  before  a  trade 
school  is  the  effect  the  instruction  may  have  on  the 
working  people.  It  is  difficult  for  one  not  continually 


REPRESENTATIVE   PROBLEMS  5 1 

in  the  midst  of  the  pressure  of  the  actual  trade  to  know 
the  many  ways  that  thoughtless  advance  in  trade  teach- 
ing may  react  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  very  ones  that 
the  school  wishes  to  help.  Injury  may  be  done  by  pre- 
paring too  many  for  certain  occupations,  filling  places 
where  a  strike  is  on,  replacing  well-paid  positions  with 
trade  school  girls  at  a  less  price,  placing  the  girls  at  too 
small  a  wage  for  their  skill,  doing  order  work  at  too  low 
a  price  or  when  a  strike  is  on,  considering  too  closely 
the  fitting  of  a  worker  for  the  employer's  benefit  rather 
than  for  the  broadening  of  her  own  life,  and  like  thought- 
less actions.  The  difficulties  of  the  situation  are  great 
and  the  solution  frequently  obscure,  but  a  fair-minded 
school  must  be  in  touch  with  the  effort  the  working 
woman  herself  has  inaugurated  to  better  her  condition. 
The  apparently  unnecessary  suspicion  with  which  the 
laboring  class  regards  the  organization  of  trade  instruc- 
tion would  have  foundation  if  no  thought  were  given  to 
the  trade  conditions  as  the  working  girl  sees  them.  A 
trade  school  for  fourteen-year-old  girls  need  not  make 
a  point  of  their  immediate  entrance  into  unions,  but  it 
should  consider  the  subject  simply  and  wisely  in  all  its 
bearings,  that  the  students  may  know  the  full  aims  and 
advantages  of  cooperation  as  well  as  the  point  of  view 
and  many  difficulties  of  the  employers. 

Contact  with  Trade 

The  faculty  of  a  trade  school  needs  the  cooperation 
and  assistance  of  the  working  people  and  the  employers 
of  labor.  Only  through  intimate  interrelation  with  them 
can  the  best  and  most  practical  results  be  obtained. 


52  THE   MAKING  OF  A  TRADE   SCHOOL 

Auxiliaries  and  committees  of  employers  and  of  wage- 
earners  ;  visits  of  the  staff  of  the  school  to  trade,  and  of 
employers,  forewomen,  and  workers  to  the  school;  the 
carrying  out  of  orders  for  workrooms  and  assisting  them 
at  busy  seasons,  are  some  of  the  ways  by  which  the 
Manhattan  Trade  School  has  tried  to  gain  the  help  of 
the  busy  industrial  world. 

Problems  of  Financial  Aid 

The  aid  given  to  enable  the  poorest  students  to  attend 
the  school  has  brought  its  own  questions,  such  as:  the 
danger  of  pauperizing  the  recipients;  the  methods  of 
selecting  the  beneficiaries ;  the  best  way  to  give  the  weekly 
aid;  the  development  of  a  spirit  of  earnest  work  and 
regular  attendance  in  the  girls  thus  aided;  the  stimula- 
tion of  a  desire  to  return  some  equivalent  in  special 
helpfulness  to  the  Manhattan  Trade  School  or  to  its 
students,  and  the  eliminating  of  this  philanthropic  effort 
from  any  apparent  relation  to  school  work. 


PART   III 
EQUIPMENT   AND    SUPPORT 

Housing  and  Equipment 

THE  first  home  of  the  Manhattan  Trade  School  was 
a  large  four-story  and  basement  dwelling  house,  for 
which  a  rental  of  $2,100  per  annum  was  paid.  The  initial 
permanent  equipment  and  first  temporary  stock  provided 
for  one  hundred  students,  and  cost  $9,500.  This  amount 
was  utilized  principally  for  the  furnishing  of  special 
rooms  for  electric  power  operating;  for  sewing;  for 
dressmaking;  for  millinery;  for  pasting;  and  for  the 
more  general  equipment  of  offices,  academic  and  art 
rooms,  a  kitchen,  and  a  lunch  room.  The  following  lists 
show  the  range  of  expenses  for  furnishing  the  main 
workrooms  with  necessary  equipment : 

GARMENT  OR  DRESSMAKING  WORKROOM 

Sewing  machines,  each $18.00  to  $70.00 

Work,  cutting,  and  ironing  tables,  each     .    .    .      6.00  to    20.00  upward 

Electric  irons,  each 7.75 

Gas  stove  (necessary  when  electric  irons  are 

not  used),  each 2.00  upward 

Cheval  glass,  each 20.00  to  100.00  upward 

Chairs,  each 50  to      3.00  upward 

Exhibition,  stock  closets,  cabinets,  and  chests 

of  drawers,  each 10.00  to  100.00  upward 

Fitting  stands,  each 2.00  to    30.00  upward 

Fitting  room  (a  curtained  alcove),  each     .    .    .    10.00  upward 
Fitting  room  (a  furnished  room),  each   ....  100.00  upward 

Dress  forms,  per  dozen 30.00  upward 

53 


54  THE   MAKING  OF  A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

Waist  forms,  per  dozen $6.00  upward 

Sleeve  forms,  pair      i.oo  to      1.50  upward 

Lockers,  per  running  foot 3.00  to      8.00  upward 

A  room  for  twenty  workers  may  be  plainly  furnished 
at  a  cost  ^f  $300  to  $500.  If  a  large  number  of  expen- 
sive sewing  machines  are  desired,  the  estimates  must  be 
increased  by  several  hundred  dollars.  The  Manhattan 
Trade  School  has  forty  foot-power  machines  of  the  kinds 
most  in  use  in  the  workrooms  of  New  York. 

The  equipping  of  a  workroom  for  electric  power 
operating,  including  general  and  special  machines,  motor, 
cutting  and  work  tables,  cabinets  and  chairs,  will  be  con- 
siderably more  expensive  than  the  one  for  garment 
making.  In  the  latter,  one  sewing  machine  can  be  used 
by  several  workers,  but  in  electric  operating  each  worker 
must  have  her  own  machine.  The  electric  motor  adds 
also  to  the  expense.  The  minimum  cost  of  equipping  a 
shop  for  twenty  workers  would  be  $1,000  to  $1,500.  The 
necessary  equipment  would  be  as  follows: 

ELECTRIC  OPERATING  WORKROOM 

Plain  sewing  machines  in  rows,  per  head $22.50  upward 

Troughs  for  work  between  the  rows  and  tables  for  the 

machines  (per  every  two  machines) 10.00 

Special  machines  (two  needle,  embroidery,  lace  stitch, 
buttonhole,  straw  sewing,  and  the  like),  each  ac- 
cording to  kind 35.00  to  125.00 

Motor,  each 140.00  upward 

Electric  cutter,  each •.    .    .    .    25.00  upward 

Cabinets,  tables,  chairs,  and  irons,  see  above 

The  Manhattan  Trade  School  has  fifty-five  plain  electric 
sewing  machines  and  thirty-two  special  machines,  as 
follows:  three  buttonhole,  one  two-needle,  one  binding, 


EQUIPMENT  AND   SUPPORT  55 

one  zigzag,  five  hemstitching,  five  tucker,  four  Bonnaz, 
one  braider,  one  hand  embroidery,  one  scalloping,  nine 
straw  sewing. 

In  workrooms  conducting  trades  which  use  paste, 
gum,  and  glue,  the  following  special  equipment  is 
required : 

Glue  pots,  gas,  each $7.50  upward 

Glue  pots,  electric,  each 21.75  upward 

Hand  cutter,  each 50.00  upward 

Cabinets,  tables,  chairs,  see  above 

The  cost  of  equipping  a  shop  would  be  from  $200  to 
$400. 

Special  machines  for  perforating  designs  or  for 
pleating  materials  are  often  needed  in  teaching  the  gar- 
ment trades.  Wholesale  prices  can  usually  be  obtained 
when  the  order  is  large.  Dealers  have  also  shown  them- 
selves willing  to  sell  their  machines  at  low  prices,  to 
loan  them,  and  even  to  give  them  to  a  school  which  has 
proved  its  ability  to  train  good  workers. 

When  it  was  appreciated  that  the  original  quarters 
of  the  school  were  too  limited,  the  Board  of  Adminis- 
trators went  to  work  with  great  enthusiasm  and  in  a  few 
months  collected  the  requisite  money  and  bought  a  large 
business  loft  building  at  209-213  East  23d  Street,  at  an 
expense  of  $175,000.  To  put  it  in  order  for  work  cost 
$5,000  in  addition.  The  former  equipment  was  used 
and  $5,000  more  was  spent  for  such  needed  items  as: 
machines,  $3,200;  motor,  $352;  perforating  machine, 
$38;  additional  master  clocks,  $233;  chairs  and  tables, 
$850.  The  school  is  furnished  in  a  simple,  businesslike 
manner,  the  equipment  merely  reproducing  good  work- 
room requirements,  i.e.,  essentials  only.  r 


56  THE    MAKING   OF   A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

The  budget  for  the  first  year,  1902-1903,  was 
$22,094.16,  of  which  the  salaries  for  teachers  took  about 
one-half  and  the  rent  and  maintenance  covered  the  other 
half.  During  this  year  there  were  113  students  ad- 
mitted. In  1908-1909,  after  six  years  of  rapid  growth, 
the  educational  budget  is  $49,000,  or  more  than  double 
the  original,  of  which  the  salaries  are  $38,806;  the  sup- 
plies, $1,710;  printing  and  publishing,  $600;  mainten- 
ance, $9,900.  At  the  beginning  of  1908  there  were  254 
students  in  the  school;  689  were  registered  during  the 
year,  making  a  total  of  943  girls,  being  almost  nine 
times  the  number  in  attendance  during  the  first  year. 

The  Support 

The  Manhattan  Trade  School  has  depended  for  its 
support  entirely  upon  voluntary  contributions.  There 
have  been  few  large  donations  and  the  donors  represent 
all  classes  of  the  community — patrons  of  and  workers 
in  sociological,  economic,  philanthropic,  and  educational 
fields,  employers  of  labor,  and  auxiliaries  of  many  kinds 
of  workers  organized  for  special  purposes.  The  most 
significant  help,  perhaps,  and  the  largest  in  proportion 
to  its  income,  has  been  that  of  the  wage-earners  them- 
selves— not  only  the  girl  who  has  benefited  by  the  in- 
struction, but  the  general  mass  of  women  workers. 
These  women,  knowing  the  difficulties  in  their  own 
struggle  to  rise,  have  shown  themselves  willing  to  set 
apart  weekly  a  small  sum  to  help  young  girls  to  attain 
quickly  efficiency  through  systematic  training.  The 
auxiliaries  of  wage-earners  are  a  mainstay  of  the 
school  on  account  of  their  helpful  enthusiasm,  their 


EQUIPMENT  AND   SUPPORT  57 

practical  suggestions,  their  interest  in  girls  trained  there, 
and  their  regular  subscriptions  on  which  the  Board  of 
Administrators  can  depend. 


PART   IV 

OUTLINES   AND    DETAILED   ACCOUNTS 
OF   DEPARTMENT   WORK 

The  Faculty  and  Staff 

THE  original  staff  of  the  Manhattan  Trade  School, 
1902-1903,  consisted  of  a  Director,  an  Executive  Secre- 
tary, 4  supervisors  (Operating,  Dressmaking,  Pasting, 
and  Art),  5  instructors  and  forewomen,  4  or  5  assist- 
ants and  occasional  workers,  a  janitor,  and  2  cleaners. 
The  present  staff,  1909-1910,  consists  of  (i)  Office 
Administration,  u  :  Director,  Executive  Secretary,  Assist- 
ant Secretary,  2  Stenographers  (office  and  placement), 
Placement  Secretary,  Investigator,  Business  Clerk,  Buyer, 
and  2  Assistants  (records,  telephone,  etc.).  (2)  Teach- 
ing Force,  Supervisors,  and  Assistant  Supervisors,  7: 
Dressmaking,  Dressmaking  workroom,  Electric  Operat- 
ing, Millinery,  Novelty,  Physical  Education,  Art.  In- 
structors, Teachers,  and  Forewomen,  1 1 :  Academic,  2 ; 
Dressmaking,  3;  Operating,  5;  Art,  i.  Assistants,  14: 
Dressmaking,  7 ;  Novelty,  3 ;  Operating,  i ;  Physical 
Education,  2;  Art,  i.  (3)  Doctor.  (4)  Care  of  Build- 
ing, 7:  Engineer,  Janitor,  Machinist,  Cleaners  2,  Ele- 
vator boy,  and  Night  watchman. 

ADMINISTRATION 
Admission  Requirements 

I.     Age:    fourteen    to    seventeen    years.      The    law 
requires  a  child  to  remain  in  public  school  until  fourteen. 

58 


OUTLINES   AND   ACCOUNTS 


59 


The  Manhattan  Trade  School  has  found  that  under 
fourteen  a  girl  is  too  immature  to  specialize  in  trade 
work,  and  that  over  seventeen  most  girls  are  too  mature 
to  fit  into  the  work  planned  for  the  majority  of  the  class. 

II.  Public  School  Grade :  5- A  or  above.  The  subject 
matter  of  5- A  grade  or  its  equivalent  is  required  by  the 
state  before  a  child  can  leave  to  work.  If  for  illness 
or  other  good  cause  a  girl  has  not  made  this  grade,  she 
is  admitted  to  the  Trade  School  with  special  permission  of 
principal  of  last  school  attended,  and,  while  studying  her 
trade,  the  necessary  amount  of  schooling  is  made  up  to 
her  by  special  classes  and  coaching.  The  Board  of  Health 
recognizes  this  substitute. 

Grade  of  girls  admitted  since  beginning  is  shown  in 
following  table : 

GRADE  UPON  LEAVING  SCHOOL 


"O 

SS 

0 

0) 

« 

M 

« 

JS 

1 

3 

•o 

111 

|| 

21 
P4 

Fiftk  Grad 
Per  cent. 

Sixth  Grac 
Per  cent. 

Seventh  G 
Per  cent. 

Eighth  Gr 
Per  cent. 

Graduate 
Per  cent. 

High  Sch< 
Per  cent. 

1902 

8 

19 

35 

26 

2 

IO 

o 

1903 

ii 

18 

19 

29 

6 

IS 

2 

1904 

6 

ii 

15 

25 

16 

25 

2 

1905 

7 

IS 

19 

19 

17 

19 

4 

1906 

8 

16 

2O 

23 

17 

13 

3 

1907 

7 

10 

25 

23 

'5 

18 

2 

1908 

4 

15 

26 

20 

T3 

16 

6 

6O  THE   MAKING  OF  A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

During  1908,  143  older  women  were  admitted  to  a 
special  workroom  opened  for  the  "unemployed." 

III.  Filing  of  working  papers  is  required  of  girls 
under  sixteen. 

1.  No  girl  under  sixteen  can  work  in  New  York 
unless  she  has  an  Employment  Certificate  issued  by  the 
Board  of  Health,  and  then  only  from  8  A.M.  to  5  P.M., 
or  for  eight  hours  daily. 

2.  The  public  school  last  attended  by  the  girl  is 
responsible  for  her  until  she  is  sixteen,  or  has  her  work- 
ing papers,  or  is  dismissed  to  another  school.     If  dis- 
missed to  Manhattan  Trade  School  her  attendance  there 
cannot  be  made  compulsory,  and  she  may  attend  a  few 
days  and  then  leave  and  work  illegally.     Our  facilities 
for  following  up  such  cases  are  limited.    With  her  work- 
ing papers  on  file  we  know  she  is  not  evading  the  law, 
and  can  dismiss  her  to  work  if  she  is  not  a  success  in 
trade  lines  of  training. 

3.  Exceptions:    Lack   of   proper   birth    record,    on 
account  of  foreign  birth  or  failure  to  make  record  of  it 
by  officials,  may  prevent  the  obtaining  of  an  Employment 
Certificate.     A  special  provision  is  made  by  the  Board 
of  Health  in  such  cases,  and,  pending  adjustment,  the 
girl  is  admitted  upon  notice  of  date  of  future  issuance. 

IV.  Reference:  Some  reliable  person's  name  is  re- 
quired of  each  applying  student,  in  order  to  have  some 
one  to  communicate  with  in  case  of  difficulty  of  any 
kind. 

V.  Application   in   person:   Each   girl   fills   out   an 
application  blank  giving  name,  address,  and  birthplace 
of  self,   father,   and  mother,  public  school  attendance, 


OUTLINES   AND  ACCOUNTS 


61 


previous  trade  experience,  if  any,  trade  desired,  refer- 
ence. This  must  be  written  at  the  school,  for  the  manner 
in  which  it  is  done  is  a  large  part  of  test  for  admission. 

Times  of  Admission 

The  school  year  begins  in  July,  but  a  girl  is  admitted 
any  Monday  when  there  is  a  vacancy  in  the  department 
she  wishes  to  enter.  The  following  table  gives  record 
of  yearly  admission : 


Nov.  2, 

1902  (first  day) 

20 

Rest  of 

1902 

93 

1903 

139 

1904 

193 

!9°5 

239 

1906 

328 

1907 

433 

1908 

689 

1909 

517 

Total 

2,651 

Some  of  these  students  did  not  remain  long  enough 
to  take  a  thorough  training,  for  home  demands  made 
even  a  small  wage  imperative,  and  the  girl  had  to 
join  the  ranks  of  earners  ill  prepared.  Some  were  not 
adapted  to  trade  conditions,  and  soon  fell  out  by  the 
way.  Many  persisted  until  they  took  more  than  the 


62  THE    MAKING   OF   A   TRADE    SCHOOL 

average  twelve  months'  course,  and  went  into  business 
at  a  proportionately  higher  wage. 

Records 

1.  Attendance :  i.  Daily,  Monday  to  Friday  inclusive. 
The  factory  method  of  time  cards  punched  by  a  clock 
upon  entrance  and  leaving  has  been  adopted  as  being 
most  exact,  businesslike,  and  time  saving.     It  registers 
the  exact  time  when  rung,  and  so  indicates  tardiness  as 
well  as  absence. 

2.  Weekly.     A  small  filing  card  ruled  for  fifty-two 
weeks   summarizes  the  daily  record  of  time  cards  and 
requires  the  marking  attendance  only  once  a  week.    This 
file  is  subdivided  into  departments  and  again  into  classes, 
so  that  the  statistics  of  enrollment  are  easily  gathered. 

II.  Individual  records:  i.  Upon  admission  a  record 
card  is  started  for  each  girl,  no  matter  how  long  she  may 
attend.  This  contains  ( i )  the  data  given  upon  the  appli- 
cation blank  copied  in  detail;  (2)  Student  Aid,  if  given, 
amount,  date,  and  remarks. 

2.  Upon  leaving,  entries  are  made  on  the  same 
card  of  (i)  date  and  cause  of  leaving;  (2)  record  in 
different  departments — Art,  Academic,  Trade,  and 
Health;  (3)  certificate — kind,  record,  date.  This  is  not 
granted  until  the  pupil  has  proved  satisfactory  in  her 
trade  both  in  the  school  and  in  business;  (4)  Trade 
Record — upon  the  reverse  side  of  the  card  is  the  "record 
in  trade  after  leaving  school,"  with  columns  for  date, 
employer,  kind  of  work,  wages,  remarks.  This  is  kept 
up  by  the  Placement  Secretary  by  frequent  visits  and 
letters,  and  gives  the  basis  for  many  valuable  deductions 
as  to  the  practical  results  of  the  training. 


OUTLINES    AND    ACCOUNTS  6$ 

III.  Other  records  kept  in  departments  are  ( I )  Stu- 
dent Aid:  application  and  information;  (2)  Health: 
examinations  upon  entrance  and  future  reexaminations ; 
(3)  Department:  records  of  each  girl  as  she  passes  from 
class  to  class,  such  as  "attitude,"  speed,  and  skill. 

Length  of  Year 

The  school  is  in  session  forty-eight  weeks  each  year, 
four  weeks  being  given  up  to  one-week  vacations  at 
Christmas,  Easter,  Fourth  of  July,  and  Labor  Day.  The 
summer  session  is  the  beginning  of  the  regular  work, 
and  not  a  unit  for  summer  training.  No  one  is  admitted 
for  the  summer  only,  as  the  time  is  too  short  for  real 
trade  standards  to  be  approached. 

Tuition 

The  tuition  is  absolutely  free.  The  Manhattan  Trade 
School  aims  to  reach  the  poorest  girl  who  has  little 
chance  to  advance  rapidly  unless  some  one  gives  her 
a  lift.  In  order  to  do  this  most  effectively  it  is  some- 
times necessary  to  assist  her.  (See  the  report  of  the 
Student  Aid  Work.) 

Choice  of  Trade 

A  girl  upon  application  can  select  the  trade  into 
which  she  wishes  to  go.  If  after  a  month's  trial  she 
proves  competent,  she  is  allowed  to  continue;  if  not, 
she  is  advised  to  change  to  another  department  or  to 
seek  employment  in  work  not  taught  at  the  Trade  School. 
If  a  girl  has  no  choice  of  trade  because  of  ignorance  of 
possibilities,  she  is  shown  the  kinds  taught  and  given 


64  THE    MAKING   OF   A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

a  chance  to  make  a  selection.  If  then  she  is  undecided, 
she  is  advised  to  take  what  seems  best  adapted  to  the 
time  she  can  spend  and  the  type  of  girl  she  appears 
to  be. 

Business  Management 

However  simple  a  school  is,  some  bookkeeping  is 
necessary,  and  when  with  the  running  of  the  school 
is  combined  the  management  of  trade  order  supplies  and 
receipts  the  problem  becomes  very  complicated.  (See 
Trade  Order  Work.) 

I.  General:  A  system  of  up-to-date  bookkeeping  of 
General  Ledger,  Invoice  Book,  and  Daily  Exhibit,  with 
details    worked    out    in    Petty    Cash    and    Maintenance 
Books,  has  been  adopted.     These  few  simple  books  so 
distribute  accounts  of  expense  and  receipts  that  one  can 
soon  see  the  standing  of  the  whole  school  or  of  a  single 
department.    All  bookkeeping  is  centralized  in  one  office, 
except  the  taking  of  orders   and  the  details  of  filling 
them,  which  must  be  in  the  hands  of  the  department 
concerned. 

II.  Departmental:    i.  Requisition    blanks    for   pur- 
chases made.     2.   Order  blank  and  duplicate   for  order 
given  by  customer.    3.   Time  slips,  wherever  possible,  to 
get  exact  record  of  time  value  of  work  done.    4.  Mate- 
rial slips,  to  keep  account  of  what  has  gone  into  any 
orders.     5.  Final  billing,  to  give  data  for  bills  sent  out 
from    main    office    and    duplicate    filed   there    for    final 
records. 


OUTLINES  AND  ACCOUNTS  65 

THE  POWER  MACHINE  OPERATING  DEPARTMENT 
Aim 

To  train  girls  to  work  on  sewing  machines  run  by 
electric  power  and  to  put  a  thinker  behind  every  machine 
as  its  operator.  The  department  hopes  by  awakening 
intelligent  interest  in  the  tool,  i.  e.,  the  machine,  to  kindle 
ambition  in  the  workers.  It  is  only  through  the  intelli- 
gent use  of  the  tool  and  consequent  love  of  work  which 
follows  that  we  can  look  forward  to  supplying  the 
skilled  machine  workers  of  the  future.  This  training 
must  be  given  while  the  girls  are  in  the  formative  period, 
to  develop  habits  of  thought  and  action  which  will 
counteract  the  bad  effects  upon  the  worker  that  follow 
division  and  subdivision  of  work,  with  consequent  sub- 
division of  ability,  which  takes  place  in  all  factories  today. 
When  a  pupil  has  been  thoroughly  trained  in  the  intelli- 
gent use  of  her  tool,  when  she  has  learned  to  construct 
complete  garments,  if  she  is  then,  through  force  of 
circumstances  such  as  modern  production  entails,  com- 
pelled to  carry  out  one  process  on  the  machine  indefi- 
nitely, or  to  make  one  part  of  a  garment,  she  still  holds 
the  balance  of  power  in  being  prepared  to  do  something 
else  when  opportunity  or  necessity  demands. 

General  Steps  in  Training 

I.  A  pupil  must  be  given  a  short  time  to  adjust 
herself  to  the  workshop  environment,  consequently  she 
is  put  first  at  some  simple  work,  such  as  ripping  or  cut- 
ting up  old  garments.  This  gives  her  freedom  while 
using  her  hands  to  look  about  the  workroom  and  to  get 


66  THE    MAKING   OF   A   TRADE    SCHOOL 

accustomed   to   the   sight   as   well   as   to   the   sound   of 
machines  in  action. 

II.  The   pupil   is   taught  to   control   the   power  by 
which  the  machine  is  run,  and  is  then  given  an  intelligent 
understanding   of    the    mechanism    of    the    machine    or 
machines  she  is  to  operate. 

III.  The  pupil   then  begins   her   regular   course   of 
work,  and  her  feeling  of  responsibility  of  the  value  of 
time   is   awakened — that  is,  her   seconds,   minutes,   and 
hours,    days,    weeks,    and    months    are    now    important 
factors  in  her  life,  and  they  may  be  used  for  good  or 
evil.     In  the  language  of  the  department,  time  may  be 
spent   wisely  or   foolishly,   and,   while   studying   at   the 
Manhattan  Trade  School,  seven  hours  out  of  every  day 
of  the  girl's  life  is  given  over  to  productive  work  and 
should  be  accounted  for.    The  department  has  developed 
its  own  plan  of  time  payments,  which  is  much  like  the 
piece-work  system  employed  in  trade.     Through  its  re- 
wards for  time  well  spent  it  makes  the  fact  real  to  the 
pupils,  as  no  form  of  punishment  could  do,  that  wasted 
time  is  gone  forever. 

The  department  is  divided  into  five  classes,  three  of 
which  must  be  taken  to  make  an  all-round  operator, 
namely:  Elementary,  two  months'  course;  Intermediate, 
four  months'  course ;  Advanced,  six  months'  course.  In 
trade,  salaries  for  such  positions  range  from  $5  to 
$15.  The  other  two  classes  train  specialists  on  the 
electric  machines,  special  machines  of  various  kinds, 
straw-sewing  machines.  Special  machine  work  requires 
from  three  months  to  one  year  in  addition  to  the  full 
course  of  all-round  operating.  Salaries  range  from  $6 


OUTLINES   AND   ACCOUNTS  / 

to  $30.     An  expert  trade  worker  is  in  charge  of  each 
class. 

Course  of  Work 

Regular  Operating  Course: 

1.  Control  of  power — learning  names  and  uses  of 
parts  of  machines.    Making  bags,  clothes,  and  operator's 
equipment. 

2.  Straight  and  bias  stitching,  equal  distance  apart. 

3.  Spaced  bias  stitching  from  given  measurements. 

4.  Making    and    turning    square   corners,    stitching 
heavy  edge  for  tension  practice. 

5.  Machine   table    apron,    using    former   principles. 
This  is  used  to  protect  operator  from  shafting  and  oil. 

6.  Seams :  Plain  seam,  plain  and  band  seam ;  French 
seam;  bag  seam  on  warp;  bag  seam,  one  warp  and  one 
bias ;  bag  seam,  two  biases. 

7.  Hemming:  Different  sized  hems  turned  by  hand 
for  correct  measurements ;  hems  run  through  hemmer  to 
learn  use  of  attachment  and  give  speed;  seams  through 
hemmer — bag  seam,  flat  fell. 

8.  Quilting:  Following  designs  made  by  pupils  in 
Art  Department.     Practice  for  control  of  power,  start- 
ing and  stopping  machine  at  given  point. 

9.  Banding:    Straight    and    bias    bands    placed    by 
measurement    from    design    made    in    Art   Department. 
Practice  for  edge  stitching,  turning  corners,  accuracy  of 
measurement. 

10.  Advanced    seams    on    cloth    and    silk:    Flannel 
seam,  slot  seam,  umbrella  seam. 

11.  Yokes  made  and  put  on:  Round  yokes — petti- 
coats;   round    front    and    straight    back — drawers    and 
petticoats;  bias  yokes — waists;   shaped  yokes — aprons; 
round  yokes — children's  dresses;  miter  corner  yoke — 
dresses. 


68  THE    MAKING   OF   A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

12.  Tucking:  Free  hand  tucking  for  accuracy  in 
measuring  and  use  of  rule;  special  tucking  on  length 
and  widths  of  different  materials  to  give  speed  and  skill 
in  handling  different  fabrics. 

General  Construction:  Trade  Stock  and  Order  Work 
(See  Order  Work)  :  Infants'  slips,  children's  underwear; 
children's  rompers;  children's  dresses;  women's  under- 
wear ;  shirtwaists ;  aprons ;  house  dresses ;  fancy  negligees. 

Special  Machine  Work : 

Buttonholes;  tucking;  two-needle  work;  hemstitch- 
ing; Bonnaz  (Corneli)  embroidery;  machine  hand  em- 
broidery, scalloping.  Students  of  special  ability  only 
are  fitted  to  take  this  course.  One  girl  in  fifteen  has 
usually  the  requisite  application  and  self-control  to 
operate  a  special  machine  successfully.  Each  machine 
is  specialized,  i.  e.,  does  its  own  particular  work  and  no 
other.  Patient  attention  to  little  things  is  required  on 
the  part  of  the  operator  in  order  that  good  results  may 
be  produced.  Such  machines  are  supposed  to  need  only 
a  hand  behind  them  to  guide  the  work.  Our  experience 
has  proved  to  us  that  good  results  are  produced  only 
when  intelligence  and  patience  are  factors.  In  the  fac- 
tories, machinists  keep  the  special  machines  in  order,  but 
the  school  aims  to  train  the  operator  to  keep  her  own 
machine  in  good  condition,  thus  saving  her  valuable 
time. 

Bonnaz  (Corneli)  embroidery  work  offers  excellent 
opportunities  for  correlation  with  the  Art  Department. 
Both  Bonnaz  (Corneli)  and  machine  hand  embroidery 
must  be  felt  in  the  muscles  before  they  can  be  carried 
out  on  the  material,  therefore  the  work  with  the  pencil 
in  making  designs  which  are  to  be  carried  out  on  the 
machine  is  of  first  importance.  Free-hand  designs  must 
be  made  first  in  large,  free  movements  on  the  machine 


OUTLINES   AND   ACCOUNTS  69 

until  the  arm  muscles  are  thoroughly  familiar  with  the 
curve,  sweep,  and  feeling  to  be  executed.  After  mastery 
of  movement  and  sweep  are  acquired,  the  same  designs 
may  be  reduced  in  size  ten  or  twenty  times  and  the  pupil 
will  still  work  them  out  in  perfect  rhythm.  After  the 
mastery  of  movement  is  acquired,  the  cording,  braiding, 
and  three-thread  attachment  work  are  easily  learned  by 
a  pupil  who  has  the  necessary  mechanical  sense.  The 
course  of  Bonnaz  (Corneli)  work  covers:  chain  stitch, 
lettering,  applique  work,  cording,  braiding,  three-thread 
work. 

Machine  hand  embroidery  should  be  given  as  a 
supplementary  course  to  Bonnaz  (Corneli)  embroidery. 
It  gives  excellent  training  in  design  and  color  work. 

Special  trade  machine  straw  sewing  should  also  be 
taken  up  after  the  regular  course  in  operating.  It  gives 
splendid  exercise  for  quick  handling  of  material,  but 
makes  a  poor  foundation  of  itself  on  which  to  build  a 
painstaking,  expert,  all-round  operator.  Speed  is  the 
first  requisite  in  getting  a  hat  properly  shaped,  as  the 
straw  braid  is  flying  through  the  machine  at  the  rate 
of  four  thousand  stitches  a  minute;  hence  the  general 
operating  is  given  first  to  the  pupil  to  train  her  in  the 
requisite  neatness.  As  straw-sewing  has  long  slack  sea- 
sons, the  operator  can  during  such  times  return  to  the 
regular  operating. 

DRESSMAKING  DEPARTMENT 
Aim 

The  aim  of  the  Dressmaking  Department  is  to  train 
girls  in  the  elements  of  the  dressmaking  trade,  in  order 


70  THE   MAKING  OF  A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

to  enable  them  to  immediately  secure  employment  as 
improvers  and  finishers  or  as  assistants  on  skirts,  waists, 
and  sleeves,  and  to  give  them  a  preparation  which  will 
help  them  eventually  to  rise  to  positions  of  skill  and 
responsibility.  The  training  eliminates  the  errand  girl 
and  apprenticeship  stages,  and  makes  possible  a  living 
wage  at  the  start.  The  result  is  accomplished  in  from 
nine  to  seventeen  months,  the  time  depending  entirely 
upon  the  capability  of  the  girl,  her  physical  condition, 
her  application  to  her  work,  her  regularity  of  attendance, 
and  her  previous  training. 

Classes 

The  department  is  divided  into  three  sections : 
(i)  The  Elementary,  which  consists  of  two  classes 
for  the  teaching  of  simple  sewing  and  machine  work. 
This  section  is  rendered  necessary  by  the  poor  prepara- 
tion of  the  students  at  the  entrance.  It  would  be  not 
only  practical  but  desirable  for  elementary  public  and 
industrial  schools  sc  to  train  their  students  that  they 
could  omit  this  part  of  the  Manhattan  Trade  School 
course.  (2)  The  Vocational.  This  section  also  includes 
two  classes.  The  work  is  tradelike  in  character,  but 
much  time  has  to  be  given  to  developing  right  habits 
of  work  as  well  as  to  learning  specific  kinds  of  hand- 
work. The  public  secondary  schools  could  offer  this 
section  to  advantage,  and  through  it  train  pupils  for  a 
better  knowledge  of  the  home  or  for  future  livelihood. 
(3)  The  Trade  Section.  This  is  a  business  shop,  which 
reproduces  trade  conditions  as  nearly  as  possible  and 
is  subdivided  into  the  same  progressive  divisions. 


OUTLINES   AND   ACCOUNTS  JI 

Although  the  object  is  to  work  as  trade  does,  the  edu- 
cational aim  is  also  prominent,  and  the  course  of  train- 
ing has  been  planned  with  both  ends  in  view.  Order 
work  plays  an  important  part  in  this  section,  for  it 
makes  possible  the  quantity  and  variety  of  material 
necessary  to  supply  the  many  repetitions  of  important 
phases  of  dressmaking,  the  new  views  of  old  principles, 
and  the  elaborate  costume  manufacturing  which  are 
needed  in  the  training.  It  would  be  impossible  for  a 
school  to  adequately  deal  with  the  many  varieties  of 
garments  in  this  trade  without  some  equivalent  for  the 
order  work.  The  use  of  models  or  of  practice  material 
is  not  satisfactory  on  account  of  the  great  difference 
between  theoretical  and  practical  knowledge  in  handling 
valuable  materials.  A  girl  may  learn  to  run  fine  tucks 
on  cheesecloth,  but  this  will  not  enable  her  to  do  satis- 
factory hand-tucking  on  chiffon.  Neither  is  it  a  correct 
educational  or  economic  principle  to  cut  up  quantities 
of  good  material,  which  the  students  will  look  upon  as 
"rags,"  and  then,  after  working  on  them,  to  throw  them 
into  a  receptacle  for  waste  or  sell  them  simply  to  get 
rid  of  them.  To  secure  the  best  results  in  any  line  of 
instruction  there  must  be  interest  and  enthusiasm.  The 
aim,  therefore,  must  be  definite  and  the  results  vital. 
The  work  is  planned  to  foster  these  higher  qualities.  The 
students  produce  articles  for  a  definite  use;  they  are 
given  a  required  time  in  which  the  work  should  be  com- 
pleted; trade  itself  sets  the  standard  of  judgment,  and 
a  definite  relation  exists  between  the  work  of  all  the 
classes,  so  that  old  principles  may  be  recognized  when 
presented  in.  new  forms. 


72  THE   MAKING   OF   A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

Courses  of  Work 

I.  Elementary  Section.  ( i )  Beginners'  Class.  First, 
a  test  is  given  each  girl  when  she  enters  which  enables 
her  instructor  to  judge  of  her  ability  in  sewing.  It  has 
been  found  necessary,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  to  teach 
all  or  the  greater  part  of  the  following  principles:  the 
use  of  sewing  utensils,  the  making  of  the  stitches,  their 
application  in  articles,  and  the  running  of  the  sewing 
machine.  Hence  the  second  step  has  been  a  course  of 
work  covering  the  use  of  these  needed  principles,  each 
girl  beginning  at  the  point  where  she  needs  training. 
Third,  the  final  test.  On  the  satisfactory  completion  of 
this  very  elementary  training  a  test  is  given  to  show  a 
girl's  ability  to  work,  to  think,  and  to  utilize  ideas.  If 
she  is  not  yet  fully  prepared,  further  time  is  spent 
in  emphasizing  the  points  she  still  requires. 

The  work  in  the  Beginners'  Class  is  done  upon  arti- 
cles which  have  a  trade  value  and  which  are  sold  to 
customers  or  to  the  students  for  about  the  cost  of  the 
materials.  The  school  furnishes  the  materials  for  all 
elementary  work,  but  the  students  must  provide  their 
own  tools  and  keep  them  in  good  condition.  These  in- 
clude a  thimble,  needles,  scissors,  a  tape  measure,  an 
emery,  and  a  white  apron. 

Class  instruction  followed  by  individual  criticism 
is  the  method  of  teaching  in  the  Elementary  Section. 
Emphasis  is  placed  upon  the  proper  use  of  the  utensils, 
the  position  of  the  body,  and  the  handling  of  the  work. 
Individual  records  are  kept  of  the  grade  of  work  and 
of  the  time  taken  to  finish  a  problem.  The  course  takes 


OUTLINES  AND  ACCOUNTS  73 

from  two  to  three  months  to  complete,  and  the  students 
are  at  work  four  and  one-half  hours  per  day. 

OUTLINE  OF  WORK  IN  BEGINNERS*  CLASS 

1.  Stitches  and  special  forms  of  sewing:  Basting, 
running,     overhanding,     overcasting,     hemming,     blind 
stitching,    sewing    on    buttons    (two    hole,    four  hole), 
buttonholes,  featherstitching. 

2.  Seams:  Plain;  selvage  and  raw  edges;  French; 
felled;  straight  and  bias  edges;  overhanded. 

3.  Machine    stitching:    Straight    seams    and    rows; 
hems;  facings — points;  use  of  tucker. 

4.  Principles:  Measuring,  seams,  hems,  tucks,  cut- 
ting by  a  thread;  matching  stripes;  turning  and  basting 
hems ;  making  casing  for  drawstrings ;  putting  on  band — 
by  hand,  by  machine — one  and  two  pieces ;  setting  strings 
into  bands ;  finishing  ends  of  hems ;  putting  on  pockets — 
straight  and  shaped;  plain  placket;  cutting  bias  strips; 
piecing  bias   strips;   facing  curved   and   straight   edges 
(armholes,  neck,  waist,  points)  ;  joining  waist  and  skirt 
with  bias  facing ;  making  straight  tucked  ruffle ;  insert- 
ing ruffle  under  tuck  on  skirt ;  ripping. 

5.  Articles  used  in  the  work  (this  list  is  changed 
at  will  and  is  merely  representative) :  Handwork — Pin 
cushion,  bag,  towel,  white  apron  with  ruffle.     Machine 
work — Belt,   gingham   apron  oversleeves,   child's   dress 
with  waist,  uniform  apron. 

6.  Supplementary   work:    Shoe   bags,    silver   cases, 
holders,   bibs,    silk   bags,    darning   bags,    needle   books, 
traveling    cases,    baby    caps    and    work    of    a    similar 
character. 

7.  Materials  used :  Cotton,  linen,  silk. 

(2)  Intermediate  Class.    The  Beginners'  Class  gives 
most  of  its  time  to  hand  sewing,  the  Intermediate  Class 


74  THE   MAKING  OF  A  TRADE   SCHOOL 

emphasizes  machine  sewing.  The  work  is  a  repetition 
of  the  principles  taught  in  the  Beginners'  Class,  but  is 
presented  in  a  different  manner,  with  new  applications. 
Orders  are  taken  from  individuals  or  business  houses 
for  the  garments  which  are  made  in  this  course.  The 
price  is  that  of  the  trade.  These  orders  furnish  a  market 
for  the  entire  output  of  the  class.  A  certain  amount  of 
class  instruction  is  given,  but  the  girls  are  expected  to 
do  independent  work  under  supervision. 

OUTLINE  OF  WORK  IN  INTERMEDIATE  CLASS 

1.  Review  of  former  principles  on  new  garments: 
{i)  French  seam — straight  edges,  baby  slips  and  night- 
gowns.    (2)   Hems,  (a)  straight,  (b)  turned  by  hand, 
on  princess  aprons,  bloomers,  sleeves,  etc.,  (c)  turned  by 
machine — hemmer  on  ruffles,  for  drawers  and  petticoats. 
(3)  Overcasting — seams  of  skirts.     (4)  Buttonholes — 
all  garments.     (5)   Plackets — plain  hemmed,  on  skirts, 
baby  slips.     (6)    Bias  bands — joining  and  applying  to 
straight  and  curved  edges,  on  princess  aprons,  drawers, 
top  of  petticoat.     (7)   Ruffle — joining,  measuring,  and 
applying  under  tuck,  on  skirt  and  drawers.    (8)  Machine 
instruction — threading,  setting  needles,  winding  bobbin, 
scale  of  thread,  needle,  and  stitch. 

2.  New  principles:   (i)  Flat  fell — shaped  and  bias 
edges  on  princess  aprons  and  drawers.    (2)  French  seam 
— shaped   edges    in   petticoat   seams.      (3)    Loops — on 
petticoats   and   dressing   sacques.      (4)    Hems — shaped 
edges  in  gored  skirts,  princess  aprons  and  nightgowns, 
baby  slips  and  children's  dresses.     (5)   Overhanding — 
pieces  on  nightgowns,  piecing  ruffles  and  lace  on  under- 
wear.   (6)  Plackets — faced  in  drawers,  petticoats,  bloom- 
ers, and  dress  skirts.     (7)  Bias  band — applying  to  top 
of  ruffle  in  petticoats  and  drawers.     (8)  Bias  binding — 


OUTLINES  AND  ACCOUNTS  75 

corset  cover  and  nightgown.  (9)  Ruffle — finishing  with 
bias  bands  on  petticoat  and  drawers.  (10)  Cuffs — 
making  and  applying  to  nightgowns,  baby  slips,  rompers, 
and  house  dresses,  (n)  Sleeves — gathering  on  wrong 
side  and  putting  into  baby  slips,  nightgowns,  dressing 
sacques,  etc.  (12)  Pressing.  (13)  Sewing  hooks  and 
eyes  on  petticoats.  (14)  Machine  instruction  in  clean- 
ing, oiling,  and  attachments. 

3.  List  of  articles  made  for  stock  and  order:  Aprons 
— princess,  maids',   fancy.     Women's  clothes — dressing 
sacques,    nightgowns,    kimonos,    lounging   robes,    house 
dresses,    chemises,    drawers,    skirts    (washable,    mohair, 
silk),  collars,  and  corset  covers.     Children's  clothes — 
nightdresses,   night   drawers,   drawers,    skirts,   rompers, 
dresses,  and  aprons. 

4.  Materials     used:     Cotton,     silk,     woolen,     and 
worsted. 

II.  Vocational  Section.  The  increasing  demand  for 
ready-made  clothing  has  opened  a  new  field  for  girls 
obliged  to  enter  the  business  world  as  soon  as  the  law 
will  permit  them  to  leave  school.  This  requires  hand 
finishing  on  fancy  waists  and  plain  and  fancy  gowns, 
which  are  made  by  the  dozens  on  machines  run  by  elec- 
tric power.  It  is  not  necessary  to  have  a  knowledge  of 
actual  dressmaking  to  be  able  to  do  this  work.  The 
ability  to  do  good  handwork  rapidly  is  the  prerequisite. 
In  some  establishments  there  are  opportunities  for  girls 
of  ability  to  rise  from  finisher  to  draper,  which  latter 
position  commands  a  high  wage. 

The  producing  of  fine,  handmade  underwear,  waists, 
and  dresses  is  another  opportunity  for  girls  who  can 
take  but  a  short  time  in  which  to  prepare  to  earn  their 
living.  Work  of  this  character  is  of  a  much  higher  grade 


76  THE   MAKING   OF   A  TRADE   SCHOOL 

than  that  of  the  wholesale  finishing,  and  demands  the 
ability  to  do  extremely  good  hand  and  machine  work. 
The  worker  must  be  able  to  handle  the  finest  kind  of 
materials  and  to  do  the  most  intricate  work,  such  as  hand 
tucking,  setting  in  lace,  and  trimmings. 

Although  the  course  in  the  Vocational  Section  trains 
for  specific  branches,  it  is  very  necessary  that  all  dress- 
making students  should  have  experience  in  these  lines  in 
order  to  be  better  prepared  for  the  actual  dressmaking. 
If,  however,  a  girl  has  the  ability  to  do  the  work  of  these 
classes,  she  is  allowed  to  skip  either  one  or  both  of  them. 

Course  of  work  in  the  Shop  for  Gymnasium  and 
Swimming  Suits:  The  students  are  drilled  for  one  or 
two  months  in  putting  garments  together,  stitching,  and 
finishing.  As  but  two  kinds  of  garments  are  made, 
speed  is  acquired  and  a  certain  amount  of  accuracy  is 
gained  through  much  repetition.  Definite  arrangements 
have  been  made  through  wholesale  houses  for  the  dis- 
position of  the  product.  The  materials  are  furnished  by 
the  school.  The  price  is  that  of  trade. 

(i)  Articles:  Swimming  suits  (patented),  bathing 
suits,  and  gymnasium  suits.  (2)  Materials  used:  Cotton, 
wool,  worsted. 

Course  of  work  in  White  Work  Class :  The  previous 
training  having  been  a  general  one  for  accuracy,  speed, 
and  the  mastery  over  mind  and  hand,  attention  is  now 
given  for  two  and  one-half  or  three  months  to  fine 
detail  work  and  the  handling  and  keeping  fresh  and 
clean  of  the  daintiest  of  cotton  goods.  The  materials 
are  furnished  by  the  school  and  the  work  is  sold  to 
customers  at  trade  prices. 


OUTLINES   AND  ACCOUNTS  77 

(i)  Principles:  Hand-tucking,  rolling  and  whipping, 
mitering  corners,  overhanding  trimming,  inserting  lace 
and  embroidery  by  hand  and  machine,  fine  featherstitch- 
ing,  and  white  hand  embroidery.  (2)  Garments  for 
stock  and  order;  fine  underwear,  waists,  and  baby 
clothes.  (3)  Material  used:  cotton. 

III.  Trade  Section— The  Business  Shop.  Trade 
demands  skilled  workers,  and  preference  is  given  to  those 
who  have  had  practical  training.  The  trade  section  aims 
to  add  experience  to  skill  by  offering  the  students  the 
actual  work  and  conditions  demanded  in  the  outside 
market.  The  general  scheme  is  the  one  in  use  in 
moderate-sized  dressmaking  establishments. 

The  workroom  has  its  tables  devoted  to  separate 
kinds  of  work,  the  students  obtain  a  definite  amount  of 
knowledge  from  each  experience,  and  pass  from  one 
to  the  other  as  rapidly  as  their  ability  to  grasp  the  prin- 
ciples will  permit.  Each  division  is  in  charge  of  an 
instructor  with  practical  trade  experience,  who  prepares 
and  supervises  the  work  and  also  does  the  skilled  parts 
which  the  students,  on  account  of  their  lack  of  experi- 
ence, are  unable  to  do. 

The  girls  are  not  taught  cutting,  fitting,  and  draping, 
as  trade  would  not  permit  a  sixteen-year-old  girl  to 
attempt  this  work  on  account  of  her  lack  of  judgment 
and  experience ;  but  they  have  the  opportunity  to  see  and 
assist  in  the  preparation  of  work.  No  girl  in  the  trade 
shop  will  make  a  complete  garment,  but  she  will  have 
worked  upon  all  parts  many  times. 

Custom  orders  supply  the  shop  with  work.  The 
customers  are  interviewed,  measurements  are  taken,  esti- 


?  THE    MAKING   OF   A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

mates  are  given,  and  dates  for  fittings  are  planned.  The 
information  obtained  is  recorded  upon  blanks  prepared 
for  the  purpose.  The  materials  are  purchased,  the  gar- 
ments cut,  and  the  different  parts  (skirts,  waists,  sleeves) 
are  delivered  to  the  tables  where  such  work  is  done. 
Blanks  are  provided  for  the  recording  of  all  materials 
used  for  customers'  work,  and  from  these  the  bills  are 
made  out  in  the  main  office.  Stock  is  obtained  from  the 
storerooms  on  signed  requisitions  only.  The  stock  clerk 
measures  and  delivers  the  materials  and  notes  the  amount 
withdrawn  on  each  package. 

Course  in  Dressmaking  Shop : 

1.  Linings:    Waist    (practice    materials):    basting, 
stitching,  pressing,  binding,  boning  (whalebone,  feather- 
bone)  ;  hooks  and  eyes;  facing;  overcasting. 

2.  Shirtwaists  and  nurses'  uniforms :  Covering  rings ; 
making  shirtwaist  cuff;  making  shirtwaist  placket;  put- 
ting on  neckbands. 

3.  Skirts:   Petticoats   or   drop   skirts    for;   basting, 
stitching,   pressing ;   seams,   bands,   plackets ;   trimming, 
pinning,  putting  on  band. 

4.  Trimmed  skirts:  Slip  stitching;  milliner's  and  flat 
folds ;  covering  buttonholes ;  binding,  shirring,  cording, 
tucking,  piping,  facing,  braiding. 

5.  Trimmed  waists:  Application  of  principles;  ex- 
perience in  making  and  applying  trimming  and  handling 
delicate  or  perishable  materials. 

6.  Trimmed  sleeves:  Application  in  general  know- 
ledge and  experience  in  applying  trimmings. 

7.  Garments  made  in  the  shop:  Shirtwaists,   fancy 
dressing  sacques  and  wrappers;  nurses'  and  maids'  uni- 
forms; dancing  dresses;  elaborate  waists;  street,  after- 
noon, and  evening  gowns ;  tailored  suits. 


OUTLINES   AND  ACCOUNTS  79 

8.  Materials  used :  All  varieties  of  cotton,  linen,  silk, 
woolen,  and  worsted  dress  fabrics;  chiffon,  mousselain, 
and  trimmings  of  all  kinds. 

IV.  Results  of  training.     A  change  in  the  general 
appearance   of  the  girls   is   soon   apparent,    for   which 
ability  to  make  their  own  clothes  and  the  refining  influ- 
ence of  the  doing  of  good  work  on  good  materials  is 
probably    responsible.      The    elements    of    good    order, 
obedience,    thought  fulness,    judgment,    self-control,    in- 
dustry, and  thrift  are  fostered,  and  every  effort  is  put 
forth  to  make  intelligent  workers. 

The  fact  that  on  entering  trade  the  girls  from  the 
Trade  School  receive  nearly  double  the  salary  given 
untrained  girls  indicates  that  they  are  fitted  for  the  out- 
side workrooms. 

V.  Departmental  relations.    The  emphasis  which  the 
Academic  and  Art  Departments  have  laid  upon  accuracy, 
careful  work,  appreciation  of  measurements,  distances, 
color,  and  form  has  been  of  great  value  to  the  students 
in  the  Dressmaking  Department.     The  Operating  De- 
partment has  also  been  of  service  in  training  some  of  the 
students   to   work   on    special    machines,    thus   enabling 
them  to  make  dress  decoration.    The  use  of  the  electric 
power  machine  in  custom  dressmaking  establishments  is 
on  the  increase. 

VI.  Trade  relation.    The  department  is  kept  in  close 
touch    with    trade    conditions    through    personal    visits, 
through  the  houses  which  purchase  its  output,  and  through 
those   from  whom  the  stock  is  bought.     Many  oppor- 
tunities to  purchase  materials  at  reduced  rates  have  been 
secured  through  the  kindly  interest  of  the  trade. 


8O  THE    MAKING   OF  A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

An  advisory  board,  composed  of  business  men  and 
women,  has  been  appointed  to  pass  judgment  upon  the 
scheme  of  work,  the  standard  and  quality  of  work,  and 
the  cost  and  market  value  of  the  products. 

MILLINERY  DEPARTMENT 
Aim 

The  aim  of  the  Millinery  Department  is  to  train 
assistants,  improvers,  frame  makers,  and  preparers  for 
wholesale  and  custom  workrooms. 

Short  Course 

When  this  department  was  first  opened  the  scope  of 
the  work  for  the  day  classes  was  much  more  extended 
and  included  training  for  copyists,  designers,  and  mil- 
liners. The  curtailing  of  the  course  to  more  elementary 
preparation  was  brought  about  by  a  feeling  of  dissatis- 
faction with  this  trade  for  the  young,  untrained,  or  partly 
skilled  workers.  Close  and  continued  contact  with 
millinery  shops  showed  that  for  young  wage-earners  a 
small,  initial  wage  and  a  not  very  rapid  rise  are  usual; 
that  a  short,  irregular,  seasonal  engagement  is  almost 
inevitable;  that  a  long  experience  is  needed  before  even 
the  trained  girl  can  rise  to  the  higher  positions;  that 
young  workers  become  discouraged  and  are  apt  to  drop 
the  trade  altogether,  even  for  lower  wages,  if  they  can 
obtain  steady  work  in  another  occupation.  As  it  was 
the  fourteen  or  fifteen-year-old  girl  who  came  for  the 
instruction,  it  was  better  for  her  to  be  well  trained  as 
an  assistant  than  to  detain  her  at  the  school  for  a  more 
advanced  position  which  she  would  probably  not  be 


OUTLINES   AND   ACCOUNTS  8l 

allowed  to  take  on  account  of  her  youth  and  inexperience. 
Students  in  this  department  need  to  be  watched  with 
especial  care  to  determine  whether  they  are  well  adapted 
for  their  occupation,  and  the  mediocre  worker  would 
better  enter  some  other  field  where  the  opportunities  for 
her  are  more  encouraging.  As  the  advance  is  slow  the 
girl  also  whose  poverty  is  hurrying  her  into  wage- 
earning  would  better  not  elect  this  work. 

The  night  classes  which  have  been  offered  at  the 
school  gave  training  in  the  more  advanced  lines  of 
millinery.  The  day  classes  are  also  prepared  to  do  so 
whenever  older  workers  feel  they  can  give  time  for  the 
instruction. 

COURSE  OF  INSTRUCTION 

Length  of  course :  Six  months. 

1.  Practice:  Shirring,  tucking,  cording,  rolled  hem, 
plain  fold,  milliner's  fold,  and  cutting  and  joining  bias 
pieces. 

2.  Making  and  covering  buckles  and  buttons ;  wiring 
ribbons  and  laces ;  making  hat  linings  and  wiring  hats. 

3.  Bandeaux:  Wire,  capenet,  and  buckram. 

4.  Wire   frame   construction   from   dimensions   and 
models;  making  frames  of  buckram,  capenet,  and  stiff 
willow. 

5.  Covering   frames   with   crinoline,   capenet,   mull, 
maline,  and  soft  willow. 

6.  Facings :  Plain,  shirred,  and  in  folds. 

7.  Bindings :  Stretch,  puff,  and  rolled. 

8.  Plateaux:  Plain  and  fancy. 

9.  Making  hats  of  straw,  silk,  chiffon,  maline,  and 
velvet. 


82  THE   MAKING   OF   A  TRADE   SCHOOL 

10.  Sewing  trimmings  on  hats  and  sewing  linings 
in  hats. 

11.  Renovating:     Ribbon,     velvet,     lace,     feathers, 
flowers. 

12.  Machine  work:  Plain  stitching,  tucking,  shirring, 
bias  strips  stitched  on  material. 

Orders  are  taken  for  a  limited  amount  of  trimmed 
hats  in  order  to  provide  the  students  with  experience  in 
preparing,  sewing  on  the  trimming,  and  in  finishing  the 
hat. 

As  millinery  is  a  seasonal  trade,  students  are  advised 
to  take,  in  addition,  lamp  and  candle  shade  making  in 
the  Novelty  Department,  or  straw  sewing  in  the  Operating 
Department.  They  are  thus  provided  with  good  trades 
during  the  months  when  their  own  trade  is  dull. 

NOVELTY  DEPARTMENT 
Aim 

(i)  To  teach  the  use  of  paste  and  glue  in  several 
good  trades.  (2)  A  short  course  in  lampshade  and 
candleshade  making  for  girls  who  have  a  dull  season  in 
their  regular  trade  during  November,  December,  and 
January. 

Lines  of  Work 

Sample  mounting,  novelty  work,  jewelry  and  silver- 
ware case  making,  lampshade  and  candleshade  making. 

Trades  and  Wages 

Sample  mounting  is  pasting  or  gluing  samples  of  all 
kinds  of  material  on  cards  or  in  books  to  be  used  by 
salesmen  in  selling  goods.  New  York  is  a  center  for  this 


OUTLINES   AND    ACCOUNTS  83 

class  of  work.  It  gives  year-round  employment  to  many 
girls,  and  offers  wages  from  $5  to  $15  a  week.  The 
simpler  lines  of  sample  mounting  can  be  learned  by  almost 
any  girl.  A  bright  student  can  learn  this  trade  in  six 
months. 

Novelty  work  is  the  covering  and  lining  of  cases  and 
boxes  with  different  materials.  Girls  can  earn  from  $5 
to  $18  a  week,  and  can  learn  the  trade  in  from  eight 
months  to  a  year. 

In  jewelry  and  silverware  case  making  the  girls  are 
taught  both  to  cover  and  line  up  the  cases;  they  earn 
from  $5  to  $15  a  week.  It  takes  from  eight  months  to 
a  year  to  learn  this  trade. 

Lampshade  and  candleshade  making:  A  short  course 
is  offered  to  good  sewers  who  wish  to  learn  a  line  of 
work  that  will  give  them  employment  during  November, 
December,  and  January,  which  is  the  busy  season  in  this 
occupation.  Girls  can  earn  from  $i  to  $2  a  day.  It  is  a 
very  good  course  for  millinery  workers,  as  the  work  is 
similar  and  therefore  easily  learned,  and  the  slack  time 
in  millinery  is  the  busy  time  in  this  trade. 

Course  of  Work 

All  pupils  entering  the  Novelty  Department  take  a 
short  course  in  sample  mounting  to  learn  the  use  of 
paste  and  glue.  Some  are  advanced  soon  to  the  novelty 
work,  while  others  continue  in  sample  mounting,  taking 
up  a  greater  variety  of  work  along  that  line.  Those 
entering  for  lamp  and  candle  shade  making  do  not  take 
the  sample  mounting,  but  come  from  the  millinery  or 
sewing  classes,  where  they  have  had  some  training  with 
the  needle. 


84  THE   MAKING   OF  A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

Interrelation  with  Academic  and  Art  Work 

In  the  academic  classes  the  girls  are  drilled  in 
measurements  and  have  problems  estimating  the  cost 
of  materials  and  labor.  Their  discussions  pertain  to 
actual  processes  and  materials  used  in  the  classes  of  the 
Novelty  Department. 

In  the  art  classes  the  girls  are  trained  to  draw 
straight  lines  and  square  corners,  to  miter  corners,  to 
fold  on  a  line,  to  make  good  letters  and  figures,  and  to 
appreciate  good  proportions  and  balance.  This  work 
enables  the  student  to  arrange  her  samples  in  straight 
lines  on  the  card,  with  proper  margins,  and  to  print 
neatly  on  the  card  the  name  of  the  materials  and  stock 
numbers.  The  discussion  of  materials  helps  her  to  cut 
and  place  her  materials  on  the  cases  so  that  the  design 
will  appear  to  the  best  advantage.  The  color  work  aids 
her  in  choosing  the  best  hues  of  ribbons  or  linings  to 
use  with  the  figured  coverings. 

Orders 

Where  trade  orders  can  be  used  without  keeping 
the  girls  too  long  on  the  one  problem,  they  prove  a  great 
incentive  and  also  help  them  to  acquire  speed.  Private 
orders  give  more  variety  in  the  work,  and  thus  enable 
the  girls  to  adjust  themselves  more  easily  to  each  season's 
new  styles.  The  private  orders,  however,  being  smaller 
in  number,  do  not  help  the  students  to  acquire  the  speed 
that  the  repetition  does  in  the  large  trade  orders.  Each 
kind  of  order  work  is  used,  as  it  can  be  of  advantage 
to  the  development  of  the  student. 


OUTLINES  AND  ACCOUNTS  85 

ART  DEPARTMENT 

The  courses  of  work  in  the  Art  Department  are 
shaped  according  to  the  needs  of  each  trade  department. 
Various  phases  of  work  in  dressmaking,  electric  power 
operating,  novelty,  and  millinery  are  made  "centers  of 
interest."  Each  girl  thus  finds  her  art  aiding  her  to  be 
more  valuable  in  her  trade.  Her  enthusiasm  is  awakened 
and  she  is  stimulated  to  self-expression  directly  along 
the  line  of  her  chosen  work.  The  entering  students 
lack  in  the  technical  skill  which  can  be  used  in  their 
trades.  The  first  step,  therefore,  is  to  give  the  ele- 
mentary exercises  needed  in  their  departments.  This  is 
followed  by  more  difficult  and  more  artistic  work  as  the 
student  shows  ability. 

Aims 

To  help  the  work  of  the  trade  departments,  to  im- 
prove the  trade  selected  by  each  student,  to  give  ideals. 

Conditions 

Time  of  average  student  in  art,  seven  months,  three 
hours  per  week.  Previous  art  training  little  or  none. 

Difficulties 

The  students  do  not  see  or  estimate  correctly;  they 
are  not  exact,  and  they  lack  ideals. 

Organization  of  Art  "Work 

I.  General  course  for  all  students,  connecting  Art 
Department  with  Trade  Courses.  Approximate  time, 
three  months,  three  times  a  week. 


86  THE    MAKING   OF   A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

1.  Principles  of  Proportion:  Measurements  by  ruler 
and  free-hand.     Related  lines  and  sizes,  as  in  hems  and 
margins. 

2.  General  Use  of  Principles:  (i)  Horizontal,  ver- 
tical, oblique  lines  for  machine  practice.      (2)    Related 
margins  and  spots  as  used  in  the  writing  of  letters,  the 
orderly  placing  of  subject  on  a  page. 

3.  Specific  Department  Work:  Departments  express 
their  needs  to  Art  Department,     (i)   Machine  operat- 
ing:   (a)    Lines — horizontal,  vertical,  oblique,   for  ma- 
chine   practice.      (b)    Quilting,    banding,    practice    for 
curves  and  square  corners. 

(2)  Sewing:  (a)  Lines — horizontal,  vertical,  oblique, 
for  machine  and  hand  practice  and  tailor  basting,     (b) 
Hems,  tucks  as  prescribed  by  department  and  propor- 
tioned to  garment,     (c)   Constructive  drawing — giving 
different  angles  and  figures  with  a  view  toward  an  in- 
telligent use  of  patterns  for  waists  and  skirts,     (d)  Piec- 
ing bias  and  mitering  corners. 

(3)  Novelty:  (a)  Lines — horizontal, vertical,  oblique, 
for  sample  mounting,     (b)  Spacings  for  sample  mount- 
ing,    (c)   Letterings  and  figures  for  sample  mounting. 
(d)  Margins    for   pasting   different   shaped   labels   and 
samples,     (e)  Paper  folding,  mitering  corners. 

(4)  Millinery:     (a)     Lines — horizontal,     vertical, 
oblique,  for  hand  sewing  practice,     (b)    Problems  for 
proportions  for  the  wire  frames,     (c)  Bias  facings  and 
mitered  and  square  corners,     (d)   Color. 

Students  unable  to  benefit  further  by  the  Art  Work 
are  dropped  from  course  and  devote  this  time  to  their 
trade. 

II.  Supplementary  course  for  students  showing 
ability  who  have  finished  the  prescribed  departmental 
course.  Approximate  time,  seven  to  nine  months. 


OUTLINES   AND  ACCOUNTS  87 

1.  Machine  Operating:    (i)   First  step  in  designs, 
arrangement  of  straight  lines  in  borders,  and  orderly 
arrangement  of  spots  in  borders.     (2)   Squared-off  de- 
signs,  stenciling   same,    for  coordination.      (3)    Sample 
curved  line  designs,  continuous   (limitation  of  machine 
and  for  speed).     (4)  Patterns  for  practice  work  for  the 
special  machine.     (5)    Special  workers  to  practice  the 
exercises  for  the  Bonnaz  machine.     (6)    Color — three 
charts.     (7)  Exercises  for  perforating. 

2.  Sewing:  (i)   Simple  designs  for  shirtwaists  and 
for  braiding.     (2)  Designs  for  revers,  cuffs,  vests,  and 
yokes.     (3)   Proportions  of  figure.     (4)   Copying  from 
magazines  for  trade  technicalities.     (5)   Discussions  on 
dress  for  trade  workers.     (6)  Color  harmony  in  dresses 
and  application. 

3.  Millinery:   (i)   Sketching  different  views  of  the 
hats.     (2)  Sketching  models.     (3)  Color  harmonies  and 
application.     (4)  Discussions  on  how  art  principles  can 
be  applied  to  hats  of  the  present  day. 

4.  Novelty :  ( i )  Simple,  squared-off  designs  stenciled 
for  coordination  for  hand  and  head,  not  gained  in  the 
trade   work.      (2)    Simple   illumination   of   words    and 
phrases.     (3)  The  materials  and  decoration  to  be  used 
for  pads,  desk  sets,  and  boxes  discussed  and  carried  out. 

In  this  supplementary  course  emphasis  is  put  on  the 
thought,  invention,  and  appreciation  of  the  student. 

III.  Special  course  for  students  who  show  unusual 
ability  in  art  and  can  utilize  it  in  trade. 

1.  Costume  sketching  for  making  records  in  dress- 
making workrooms. 

2.  Stamping  and  perforating:  (a)  Machine  practice 
— pedaling,  guiding  needle,  threading  machine,  and  learn- 
ing to  adjust  the  different  parts,    (b)  Stamping  on  differ- 
ent materials  with  the  different  mediums ;  composition  of 
the   different  mediums,   liquid   and   dry.      (c)  Copying 


88  THE    MAKING   OF   A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

patterns  for  perforating;  nature  study  for  motifs;  con- 
ventionalizing those  to  apply  them  to  materials. 

(All  designs  are  such  as  can  be  used  in  trade  and  are 
made  according  to  trade  methods.) 

ACADEMIC  DEPARTMENT 
Aim 

I.  Elementary:   To  supplement  previous  schooling. 
Girls  who  have  left  the  public  school  from  low  grades 
need  special  tutoring  in  the  common  branches.     Special 
instruction  is  also  needed  for  newly  arrived  foreigners. 

II.  Trade:  To  quicken  and  enrich  the  mind,  that 
the  girl  may  become  a  more  efficient,  intelligent,  and 
enthusiastic  trade  worker. 

The  work  falls  under  the  following  subjects:  Civics, 
Industries,  Arithmetic,  English. 

Civics 

This  course  is  given  as  a  means  of  enabling  the  pupil 
to  recognize  her  place  in  the  family,  the  school,  the  com- 
munity, and  in  the  world's  work.  For  lack  of  a  better 
term  it  is  called  Civics.  It  is  dealt  with  under  two  heads : 
(i)  Community  Life  in  General,  (2)  Community  Life 
in  New  York  City. 

i.  Under  the  first  head  the  discussion  of  life  in  a 
given  community  is  followed  by  the  simple  facts  that 
lie  at  the  foundation  of  civic  life.  These  are  approached 
through  the  interests  or  desires  which  the  pupil  feels  in 
common  with  all  other  people.  Building  still  further 
on  the  pupil's  own  experience,  she  is  led  to  apply  the 


OUTLINES   AND   ACCOUNTS  89 

ideas  received  to  her  own  community,  which  ever  widen- 
ing its  scope  is  carried  from  the  neighborhood  or  the 
school  to  the  city,  the  state,  and  on  to  the  nation. 

Civics  also  gives  to  the  pupils  a  knowledge  of  the 
existing  laws  under  which  they  will  work,  by  whom 
these  laws  are  made,  and  the  possible  means  for  improv- 
ing them.  In  the  discussion  of  such  subjects  as  Tene- 
ment House  Laws,  Child  Labor  Laws,  and  Trade-Unions, 
there  is  opportunity  for  the  introduction  of  home  and 
business  economics  which  have  been  found  to  be  valu- 
able. Economics  is  further  taught  by  the  detailed  dis- 
cussion of  the  apportionment  of  an  income  of  $6  a  week 
for  fifty  working  weeks,  considering  car  fare,  lunches, 
savings,  a  portion  toward  family  support,  and  an  allow- 
ance for  clothes.  The  literature  for  this  course  is 
obtained  from  the  United  States  Department  of  Com- 
merce and  Labor,  the  State  Department  of  Factory 
Legislation,  the  Consumers'  League,  the  National  and 
State  Labor  Committees,  and  current  magazines.  Mr. 
Arthur  M.  Dunn's,  "The  Community  and  the  Citizen," 
especially  such  chapters  as  those  on  the  "Making  of 
Americans,"  "How  the  Government  Aids  the  Citizen 
in  His  Business  Life,"  "Waste  and  Saving,"  "What  the 
Community  Does  for  Those  Who  Cannot  or  Will  Not 
Contribute  to  Its  Progress,"  has  given  valuable  assist- 
ance in  leading  to  discussions  which  have  direct  bearing 
upon  daily  life  and  work. 

2.  The  following  outline  shows  the  treatment  of  the 
second  division  of  Civics: 

New  York  City:  (i)  City  Government,  (a)  Officials, 
Mayor,  Commissioner,  Borough  President,  Aldermen ; 


9O  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TRADE    SCHOOL 

(b)  City  Departments.  (2)  Citizenship,  (a)  Who  are 
citizens,  (b)  How  to  become  a  citizen,  (c)  Duties  and 
privileges  of  citizens,  (d)  Aliens.  (3)  Child  Labor 
Laws,  (a)  School  attendance,  (b)  Working  papers,  how 
obtained,  (c)  Hours  for  work.  (4)  Factory  Laws  for 
girls  over  sixteen  years  old.  (5)  Sweatshop  labor. 
(6)  Tenement  House  Laws.  (7)  Trade-Unions.  (8) 
Commerce  and  Industries  of  New  York.  (9)  Philan- 
thropies. 

Industries 

Aim:  To  furnish  the  worker  with  a  background  for 
her  trade  and  to  help  her  to  see  her  place  in  the  working 
world  of  today.  I.  A  generalized  view  is  taken  of  the 
main  steps  in  the  early  progress  of  the  race.  2.  Textile 
materials  are  discussed  as  to  their  values,  their  uses,  their 
•cost,  the  processes  of  their  manufacture,  the  comparison 
of  foreign  and  domestic  goods,  with  reasons  for  the  dif- 
ferences, and  the  connected  problems  of  arithmetic  which 
the  students  will  meet.  These  subjects  help  the  girl  to 
"get  next"  to  what  she  is  working  with  every  day  and 
to  arouse  interest  in  her  personal  connection  with  the 
subject.  The  English  girl  whose  father  was  once  em- 
ployed in  a  lace  house  in  London  brings  mounted 
specimens  of  that  sort  of  handwork  to  the  class;  the 
Hungarian  brings  hand-spun  articles  from  her  mother's 
bridal  outfit;  the  Italian  presents  a  skein  of  raw  silk 
taken  from  the  family's  treasure  box,  and  the  girl  from 
Roumania  brings  an  embroidered  bed  cover.  The  student 
whose  mother  does  not  believe  cotton  ever  grew  on 
bushes  asks  that  she  may  verify  her  own  statement  by 
taking  home  a  real  cotton  ball.  A  Labor  Museum 
is  being  collected  to  give  reality  to  the  instruction,  and 


OUTLINES   AND   ACCOUNTS  91 

exhibits  from  it,  which  show  the  steps  in  the  manufac- 
turing of  the  fabrics  and  of  other  familiar  articles,  are 
put  up  in  the  classroom  when  needed.  A  bulletin  board 
provides  for  the  numerous  clippings  brought  by  the 
students  or  teachers. 

Arithmetic 

Aim:  The  fundamental  aim  of  arithmetic  is  to  give 
the  pupils  working  methods  for  the  problems  that  occur 
in  trade  practice.  To  make  the  correlation  clear  to  the 
girls,  workroom  methods  of  presentation  and  phrase- 
ology and  the  customary  materials  are  used.  Sewing 
and  operating  students  make  hems,  tucks,  and  rufflles 
to  actual  measurements;  novelty  girls  cut  and  arrange 
cards  for  samples  in  accordance  with  their  workroom 
demands;  and  millinery  students  work  out  the  measure- 
ments for  hat  frames  as  closely  as  varying  styles  permit. 

With  the  fundamentals  of  trade  problems  established, 
arithmetic  is  further  developed  along  special  lines  of 
trade  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  business  world.  The 
trained  worker  should  not  only  be  skilled  in  the  manipu- 
lation of  tools  and  materials,  but  she  should  be  able  to 
compute  her  own  problems,  such  as  estimates  for  gar- 
ments, how  to  cut  materials  economically,  the  cost  of 
one  garment  or  article  as  related  to  the  cost  of  many 
of  the  same  kind,  the  prices,  and  similar  trade  questions. 
The  ability  to  deal  with  these  subjects  adds  materially 
to  the  value  of  a  skilled  worker. 

The  central  scheme  of  the  course  is  to  lead  the  pupil 
to  prompt  and  accurate  mental  calculation.  This  is 
stimulated  by  frequent  oral  drills  in  trade  problems  and 


92  THE   MAKING  OF  A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

business  problems  involving  short  methods  of  compu- 
tation. The  extent  and  progress  of  this  work  are  regu- 
lated by  the  ability  of  the  class. 

The  following  outlines  show  the  adaptation  of  arith- 
metic to  the  different  trades : 

Operating:  (i)  Cutting  of  gauges,  (a)  For  hems, 
(b)  For  tucks.  (2)  Tucking  problems,  (a)  With  gauges, 
(b)  As  formal  arithmetic  problems.  (3)  Ruffling  prob- 
lems. (4)  Time  problems,  Department  time  schedules 
as  basis  for  the  work.  (5)  Factory  problems.  (6)  In- 
come, expenditure,  savings.  (7)  Bills  and  receipts. 
(8)  Computation  of  quantity  of  material  required  for 
garments,  (a)  By  measuring  garments,  (b)  By  use  of 
patterns  on  cloth,  (c)  Economy  of  material.  (9)  Prob- 
lems based  on  above  work.  (10)  Civic  problems. 

Sewing:  (i)  Cutting  of  gauges,  (a)  For  hems, 
(b)  For  tucks.  (2)  Tucking  problems.  (3)  Ruffling 
problems.  (4)  Computation  of  quantity  of  material 
required  for  garments,  (a)  By  measuring  garments, 

(b)  By  use  of  patterns  on  cloth,  (c)  Economy  of  mate- 
rial.    (5)   Problems  based  on  above  work.     (6)   Store 
problems.     (7)  Bills  and  receipts.    (8)  Income,  expendi- 
tures,   savings.      (9)    Textile    problems.      (10)    Civic 
problems. 

Novelty:  (i)  Sample  mounting,  (a)  Cards  are  cut  a 
given  size  and  are  divided  with  the  ruler  into  spaces 
for  samples,  with  proper  margins,  etc.,  according  to  trade 
demands,  (b)  Problems  involving  the  various  sizes  and 
shapes  of  cards  and  samples,  using  cards  and  rulers  for 
the  work.  (2)  Sample  cutting.  (3)  Cutting  materials 
for  boxes,  (a)  Pulp  board,  (b)  Covering  plain,  flowered, 

(c)  Economy  of  materials.    (4)  Problems  based  on  above 
work.     (5)   Trade  problems,   (a)   In  sample  mounting, 
accuracy,  speed,   (b)   Cost  of  materials.     (6)   Bills  and 
receipts.     (7)  Income,  expenditure,  savings.     (8)  Civic 
problems. 


OUTLINES  AND  ACCOUNTS  93 

Millinery:  (i)  Measurement  of  frames.  (2)  Trade 
problems,  (a)  Quantity  of  material,  (b)  Price  of  mate- 
rials, (c)  Economy  of  material.  (3)  Orders,  (a)  By 
letter,  (b)  By  order  blanks.  (4)  Bills  and  receipts. 
(5)  Income,  expenditure,  savings.  (6)  Problems  on 
manufacture  of  silk.  (7)  Civic  problems. 

English 

Aim:  I.  To  facilitate  oral  and  written  expression. 
2.  To  give  practice  in  business  forms:  Spelling:  (i) 
Technical  terms  of  each  trade  department;  (2)  Textiles 
and  other  trade  materials;  (3)  Ordinary  business  terms. 
Descriptions:  (i)  Written  work  on  materials  used  and 
articles  made  in  each  department;  (2)  Outlining  and 
defining  of  department  work.  Business  Forms:  (i) 
Letters  of  application;  (2)  Letters  ordering  goods; 
(3)  Telegrams,  postal  cards,  etc.;  (4)  Writing  of 
advertisements. 

In  addition  to  practice  in  spelling  and  in  the  writing 
of  business  forms,  the  work  in  English  aims  to  be  in 
close  correlation  with  the  other  subjects  taught.  As  a  < 
rule,  the  latter  part  of  each  recitation  period  is  spent 
by  the  pupils  in  writing  upon  the  subject  in  hand.  The 
purpose  is  to  obtain  from  them  freedom  of  expression 
after  arousing  interest  in  a  subject,  rather  than  to  get 
long  compositions  necessitating  home  study  and  probably 
generating  a  dislike  for  written  work.  Attention  is 
called  to  paragraphing  and  emphasis  is  laid  upon  both 
the  form  and  the  manner  of  writing,  but  form  is  made 
subservient  to  thought.  The  interrelation  of  Art  Depart- 
ment helps  the  student  to  appreciate  the  need  of  good 
form  in  the  appearance  of  a  written  page. 


94  THE   MAKING  OF  A  TRADE   SCHOOL 

PHYSICAL  EDUCATION  DEPARTMENT 

The  young  wage-earner  who  goes  into  trade  untrained 
at  fourteen  years  of  age  is  greatly  handicapped  by  her 
physical  condition.  Either  through  ignorance  or  neglect 
early  symptoms  of  disease  are  disregarded,  and  it  is  not 
until  she  finds  herself  out  of  employment  as  a  result  of 
physical  weakness  that  she  realizes  that  good  health  is 
the  capital  of  the  working  girl. 

Many  of  the  girls  who  enter  the  school  are  found 
to  be  suffering  from  poor  vision ;  enlarged  glands  caused 
by  decayed  teeth;  poor  nasal  breathing  as  a  result  of 
adenoid  growths  or  enlarged  tonsils ;  anaemia ;  skin  erup- 
tions; slight  asymmetries  and  poor  posture.  These 
defects  produce  exaggerated  nerve  signs  and  poor 
nutrition. 

Aim 

The  work  of  the  Physical  Department  is  to  correct 
as  many  of  these  irregularities  as  possible  and  also  to 
train  the  student  to  a  knowledge  of  her  body  and  how 
to  care  for  it,  that  she  may  be  able  to  stand  the  long 
hours  of  confining  work  and  be  able  to  show  efficient 
results  in  her  trade. 

The  following  examination  is  required  of  each  enter- 
ing student: 

Physical  Examination:  Beginning  with  the  family 
history,  a  complete  record  of  all  important  events  relat- 
ing to  a  student's  physical  life  is  taken.  She  is  carefully 
examined  for  asymmetry;  curvature,  incipient  or  well 
defined;  traces  of  tuberculosis;  weakness  of  heart  and 
lungs ;  enlarged  glands ;  skin  diseases,  or  signs  of  nerv- 


OUTLINES    AND   ACCOUNTS  95 

ous  disorders.  She  is  closely  questioned  as  to  all  bodily 
functions  and  a  careful  record  is  kept  of  irregularities. 
Eyes,  ears,  teeth,  nose,  and  throat  are  likewise  examined. 
Impressions  of  the  feet  are  made  in  order  to  detect 
weakness  of  the  arch  or  flatfoot.  Measurements  of 
height,  weight,  and  the  principal  expansions  are  taken 
for  comparison  with  later  records  and  for  the  purpose 
of  comparing  with  normal  standard. 

Prescribed  Treatment 

After  the  examination  the  girl  is  instructed  as  to 
treatment,  if  any  is  needed.  If  perfectly  normal  she 
will  report  for  gymnastics  three  times  a  week.  If  any 
asymmetry,  curvature  of  the  spine,  heart  disease,  or 
nervous  disorders  are  discovered,  she  must  report  for 
special  corrective  exercises  at  the  school.  In  some  cases 
individual  instruction  is  given  for  supplementing  the 
work  at  home.  Cases  demanding  special  apparatus  and 
individual  attention  have  been  treated  in  the  Physical 
Education  Department  of  Teachers  College,  through  the 
kindness  of  the  director,  Dr.  Thomas  Denison  Wood. 
The  girls  so  affected  have  thus  the  advantage  of  the 
latest  methods  known  to  science.  If  any  of  the  numer- 
ous skin  diseases  are  present  which  demand  frequent 
and  regular  attention,  the  student  is  assigned  to  a  group 
who  go  twice  a  week  to  a  dispensary  to  receive  electrical 
or  X-ray  treatment.  In  cases  of  enlarged  tonsils  or 
adenoids,  the  necessity  for  immediate  operation  is  ex- 
plained and  every  effort  made  to  gain  the  consent  of 
the  parents.  When  permission  is  obtained  the  girl  goes 
to  a  neighboring  hospital  on  Sunday  evening,  is  oper- 


96  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TRADE    SCHOOL 

ated  upon  on  Monday,  and  returns  home  Tuesday.  Each 
student  must  have  her  eyes  thoroughly  examined  by  a 
doctor  selected  at  the  Ophthalmic  Dispensary.  If  glasses 
are  needed  they  are  procured  at  the  expense  of  the  parent 
or  donated  by  an  optician  who  is  interested  in  the  school. 
Dispensary  treatment  is  also  necessary  in  cases  of  catarrh 
of  nose  and  throat.  Teeth  are  carefully  examined  and 
the  girls  directed  to  their  own  dentists,  or  to  the  Dental 
Dispensary  adjoining  the  school,  where  we  are  fortunate 
enough  to  have  a  limited  amount  of  work  done  free  of 
charge.  Cases  of  asymmetry  demanding  braces,  plaster 
jackets,  and  operations  have  been  treated  at  the  Post- 
Graduate  Hospital.  Tuberculosis  cases  in  advanced 
stages  have  been  placed  on  the  special  boats  in  New 
York  Harbor  or  are  sent  to  Tubercular  Camps  in  the 
country. 

In  sending  girls  to  the  hospitals  and  dispensaries  the 
aim  is  to  place  them  in  touch  with  institutions  to  which 
they  will  have  independent  access  after  they  leave  the 
Manhattan  Trade  School. 

Statistics 

The  statistics  below  show  the  condition  of  278  girls 
when  they  registered  at  the  school.  The  charts  are 
divided  according  to  the  departments  entered.  From 
them  can  be  seen  the  need  of  special  care  for  the  health 
of  the  working  girl. 

A  second  examination  of  the  same  girls  six  months 
later  shows  gain  in  weight,  height,  and  general  health; 
125  had  their  teeth  put  in  order;  six  were  treated  for 
defective  hearing;  twenty  had  attended  the  Skin  Clinic; 


OUTLINES   AND   ACCOUNTS 


97 


Dressmaking. 

j 

Millinery. 

5? 

Operating. 

I 

Good 

101 

7 

15 

26 

35 

184 

Nutrition 

Fair 

39 

2 

6 

18 

65 

Poor 

7 

4 

10 

8 

29 

Good 

122 

7 

19 

33 

40 

221 

Mentality 

Fair 

21 

2 

6 

17 

46 

Poor 

4 

3 

4 

II 

Nerve  signs 

Present 
Absent 

.3 

3 
4 

6 

15 

13 

29 

16 

45 

77 

2OI 

Asymmetry 

slight  curva- 
tures, high 
hips  or 

Present 
Absent 

53 
94 

4 
3 

12 

9 

23 
19 

29 
32 

121 
157 

shoulders,  etc. 

Posture 

Good 
Fair 

93 
54 

4 
3 

8 
13 

29 
13 

30 

I6S 

"3 

Good  condition 

95 

5 

I3 

S2 

44 

189 

Skin 

Acne,  comedones, 

etc. 

52 

2 

8 

10 

17 

89 

Glands 

Good  condition 
Enlarged 

66 
81 

3 

4 

10 

ii 

19 
23 

20 
41 

118 
160 

Vision 

Need  glasses 
Good  condition 

44 
103 

3 

4 

8 
13 

12 

3° 

19 

42 

86 
192 

Hearing 

Defective 
Good 

6 
141 

6 

21 

4 
38 

I 
60 

12 
266 

Speech 

Good 
Defective 

170 
7 

7 

2O 
I 

37 
5 

56 

5 

260 

8 

Good 

32 

! 

4 

10 

J3 

60 

Nasal  breathing 

Fair 

58 

4 

ii 

13 

28 

114 

Poor 

57 

2 

6 

20 

104 

Good 

44 

I 

6 

7 

21 

79 

Tonsils 

Slightly  enlarged 

75 

2 

ii 

25 

24 

Much  enlarged 

28 

4 

4 

10 

16 

62 

THE   MAKING   OF  A   TRADE   SCHOOL 


1 
I 

£ 
Q 

r 

< 

Millinery. 

£ 

1 

Operating. 

"«3 

g 

Good 

103 

5 

16 

3° 

40 

194 

Teeth 

Poor 

44 

2 

5 

12 

21 

84 

Need  attention 

108 

4 

12 

31 

40 

J95 

Good 

122 

4 

21 

23 

44 

214 

Weak,  irritable,  or 

Hearts 

with  anaemic 

murmurs 

24 

2 

17 

13 

56 

Organic  trouble 

I 

I 

2 

4 

8 

Lungs 

Good 
Tuberculosis 
Suspected 

138 

3 

5 

20 

36 
2 

58 

257 
5 

tuberculosis 

6 

2 

I 

4 

3 

16 

Good 

I25 

7 

16 

38 

53 

239 

Feet 

Weak  arches 
Broken  arches  or 

10 

i 

4 

15 

flatfoot 

12 

4 

4 

4 

24 

Enlarged 

thyroid  glands 

12 

I 

2 

i 

7 

23 

Exophthalmic 

goiter 

2 

2 

4 

Chorea 

2 

2 

I 

5 

Needing 

corrective 

exercises 

5 

3 

4 

7 

T9 

all  had  their  eyes  examined;  eighty-six  were  fitted  with 
glasses.  In  twenty-five  cases  where  the  adenoids  and 
tonsils  were  removed  the  result  was  increase  in  weight, 
better  breathing  and  heart  action,  alertness  of  mind,  and 
a  noticeable  improvement  in  trade  work.  Where  the 
obstructions  of  nose  and  throat  still  remain  there  is  loss 


OUTLINES  AND  ACCOUNTS  99 

in  weight  and  diminished  chest  expansion  and  a  gener- 
ally weakened  condition.  The  extraction  of  decayed 
teeth  and  the  providing  of  well-fitting  glasses  have 
diminished  nervous  irritability  and  the  frequency  of 
headaches.  Three  cases  of  tuberculosis  were  sent  to 
camps.  Seven  cases  of  organic  heart  trouble  were  treated 
by  specialists ;  nineteen  girls  were  given  corrective  exer- 
cises at  Teachers  College;  two  were  fitted  with  shoes 
and  braces;  two  were  put  into  plaster  jackets,  one 
for  lateral  rotary  curvature  and  one  for  neuritis;  and 
one  advanced  case  of  chorea  has  been  placed  in  the 
hospital.  Of  the  girls  whose  records  are  given  in  the 
list  it  can  be  said  that,  with  the  exception  of  the  cripples 
and  a  few  others  needing  simple  operations,  a  year's 
care  shows  that  very  few  of  them  are  in  any  way  handi- 
capped by  the  effects  of  disease. 

PHYSICAL  EDUCATION  COURSE 

1.  Gymnastics : 

.1.  Elementary:  3  thirty-minute  periods  a  week. 
(i)  Swedish  floor  work  for  general  posture;  (2)  Work 
in  control  of  breathing;  (3)  Marching  tactics  for  form 
and  accuracy;  (4)  Light  apparatus  work:  (a)  Wands, 
(b)  Dumb-bells,  (c)  Indian  clubs;  (5)  Heavy  apparatus 
for  coordination;  (6)  Simple  dances  and  rhythm  work 
for  grace  and  poise;  (7)  Simple  plays  and  games. 

2.  Advanced:  2   forty-five-minute  periods  a  week. 

1 i )  Gymnastic  dances  containing  more  than  three  figures  ; 

(2)  Swedish  and  Danish  weaving  dances  in  correlation 
with  study  of  textiles  (Academic  Department)  ;  (3)  Folk 
dances  of  Sweden  and  Russia  for  form;   (4)   Modern 
athletic  dances  for  grace  and  poise;  (5)  Athletic  Com- 
petition:   (a)    Running  and   jumping,    (b)    Relay   and 
obstacle  races,  (c)  Hockey  and  basket  ball. 


100  THE   MAKING   OF   A   TRADE   SCHOOL 

3.  Special  corrective  work  for  spinal  trouble  or  poor 
position:  (i)  General  floor  work  for  mobility;  (2)  Free- 
hand work:  (a)  Single  assistive  and  resistive  exercises, 
(b)  Hanging  exercises  with  and  without  assistance,  (c) 
Work  with  iron  dumb-bells. 

II.  Hygiene:  Talks  on  hygiene  are  a  regular  part 
of  the  work,  and  aim  to  give  each  girl  a  knowledge  of 
her  body  and  of  its  functions  that  will  enable  her  to 
care  for  her  health  in  an  intelligent  manner  and  to  estab- 
lish in  her  mind  ideals  of  correct  living  which  can  be 
made  practical  in  her  surroundings. 

1.  Personal  Hygiene:  (i)  Brief  survey  of  the  body 
as  a  whole;   (2)   The  use  of  the  mouth,  nose,  larynx, 
trachea,  and  lungs  in  breathing;  (3)   Care  of  nose  and 
throat:  (a)  The  nose  as  a  source  of  infection,  (b)  Dan- 
gers of  enlarged  tonsils  and  adenoids,    (c)    Treatment 
of  colds;  (4)  Structure  and  care  of  the  teeth.     (5)  The 
Digestive  System:   (a)   Organs  directly  concerned,  and 
(b)  Their  care,  (c)  Disorders  of  the  Digestive  System; 

(6)  The    Nervous    System,    Brain,    and    Spinal    Cord; 

(7)  The  Skin,  (a)  Structure  and  Use,  (b)  Hygiene  of 
Skin;    (8)    Heart  and  Blood  Vessels;    (9)    The  Hair; 
(10)  The  Ears;  (n)  The  Eyes;  (12)  The  Feet;  (13) 
The  Hygiene  of  Clothes. 

2.  Domestic    Hygiene:    Construction    and    furnish- 
ing  of   Home:    (a)    Internal   arrangement,   walls,    and 
coverings,   (b)  Ventilation,  (c)  Heating,   (d)   Lighting, 
(e)   Water  Supply,    (/)    Plumbing  and  Drainage,    (g) 
Toilet    rooms,    (h)    Disposal   of    Garbage    and    Ashes, 
(i)    House  Cleaning,  sweeping,  dusting,  cleaning,  and 
use  of  disinfectants. 

3.  Foods:  (i)  Nutritive  value  of  foods;  (2)  Purity 
of    food    materials;    (3)    Cooking — Cooking    utensils; 
(4)  Planning  of  meals. 


OUTLINES   AND   ACCOUNTS  IOI 

4.  Diseases:  (i)  Causes  and  Transmission;  (2) 
Contagious  diseases,  care,  prevention;  (3)  Hygiene  of 
sick  room;  (4)  Insects  and  vermin;  (5)  Infectious 
diseases. 


OVERDUE. 


1.D21- 


YB  6289! 


UNIVERSITY  OF 


